Warriors: An Endless Journey
by Wolfstar98
Summary: Bramblestar has taken his chance, and has killed Firestar. His rule brings terror to many cats, and others have been exiled. Nightcloud and Leafpool find themselves exiled together, and are forced to rely on each other.
1. Chapter 1: Exiled

* * *

What if Brambleclaw really did kill Firestar and take over WindClan? He is guided by Tigerstar, which leader to murder. Cats are chased out, enemies are forced to rely on each other. Those cats have no other wish than to show Brambleclaw-now Bramblestar-that he is wrong. They set out on an perhaps endless journey.

"We only need loyal cats," Bramblestar had meowed coldly.

"We are loyal!" Crowfeather had protested.

Ignoring him, Bramblestar called for his warriors to attack. The Clan sprang forward. The air was suddenly filled with cries of fear, hatred, and disbelief. Cats sprang everywhere.

Leafpool padded alongside her rival and companion, Nightcloud, who kept murmuring rude words. Sighing, Leafpool stopped and turned to the black WindClan she-cat.

"Look, Nightcloud, why are we enemies? We all have the same goal now," she meowed.

"Because you stole my mate, foxdung!"

"He wasn't your mate then. Besides I went back to ThunderClan, remember?"

"He still likes you!" spat Nightcloud.

Leafpool sighed. "Let's focus on our journey." She didn't want to begin this all over again.

Leafpool continued walking. Nightcloud followed silently.

"We're still in ThunderClan territory, so we have to be careful," warned Leafpool, breaking the silence.

"Not ThunderClan's anymore. TigerClan's," responded Nightcloud, her voice heavy with regret.

Leafpool winced when she heard the name of the Clan that had started all this. TigerClan. The Clan that had been broken when Scourge had killed Tigerstar.

Nightcloud scented the air warily. She knew that Crowfeather wanted to be with Leafpool and Leafpool wanted to be with him. Nightcloud was the only one out.

"I think we should find a place to stay the night," suggested the black she-cat.

"We're still in TigerClan's territory," argued the brown tabby.

"There's no way we're going to cross TigerClan's territory tonight," retorted the WindClan cat. "But you're right. We could be caught."

"So what should we do?" Leafpool's voice softened to a whisper.

"Find a hidden place, I guess."

Leafpool did nothing except nod and scent the air.

"It's starting to rain," she pointed out.

"Right," Nightcloud answered.

They started running. Nightcloud forced herself to keep pace with her companion. As a WindClan cat, she was faster than the ThunderClan medicine cat. As much as Leafpool seemed to be her rival, she didn't want to be all alone.

"A rabbit hole!" gasped Leafpool as she dove in. Nightcloud followed her, sniffing warily.

Nightcloud followed Leafpool closely. There was enough light, but tunnels seemed to be everywhere. Suddenly, Leafpool stopped. Nightcloud was going to ask why, but then she heard Leafpool cry out.

"Great StarClan! There's a huge cave in here! We can stay for the night."

"Aren't you afraid we'll be caught?" whispered Nightcloud, crawling in the cave after her.

"Of course! But what choice do we have? It's shelter!"

Nightcloud scanned the cave. It was large, but dark. Hardly any light. She walked to a corner and lay down. Leafpool did the same.

Shivering, Nightcloud couldn't sleep. Leafpool obviously felt the same and padded to her.

"Why don't we sleep together?" suggested the ThunderClan cat.

Nightcloud stared at her.

"Well, it's cold, so….." mewed Leafpool.

"All right."

As Leafpool lay down next to her, Nightcloud had to admit it felt much better. Even though Leafpool was her rival….

Nightcloud shook her head. She had plenty of time to think tomorrow. Leafpool wasn't her rival now. Nightcloud's companion. Now she had to sleep. Nightcloud needed her energy. Sleep washed over her quickly.


	2. Chapter 2: Wounded

Leafpool blinked open her eyes. _Where am I? _Then she remembered. She was in the dark cavern. It was filled with light now. Turning around, she saw that Nightcloud was still asleep.

Leafpool froze as she heard pawsteps coming nearer. Carefully edging to the opening, she saw a patrol. Bramblestar in the lead, with Tornear and Whitetail.

Leafpool saw the dark tabby look around and scent the air. Holding her breath, she hoped that the rain had washed away the scent.

"Not here," murmured Whitetail.

"The rain might have washed away the scent," argued Tornear. "They could be listening right now!"

Bramblestar twitched his ears, his eyes flickering back and forth. He muttered something Leafpool didn't catch. Cautiously, Leafpool edged closer. Suddenly, she slipped on a rock. With a yowl, she fell back into the cavern.

Too late, Leafpool slapped her tail over her mouth and ran over to Nightcloud, who was still asleep.

Bramblestar peered into the cavern. "Leafpool! And Nightcloud! Let's go."

Frantically shaking the black she-cat, Leafpool finally woke the sleepy Nightcloud.

"What? What?" mewed Nightcloud.

"Bramblestar's here! With Tornear and Whitetail! We have to go!" Leafpool meowed frantically.

Nightcloud scrambled to her paws. She looked back to see their entrance blocked by Whitetail while Bramblestar and Tornear walked closer. Scanning the cave, she spotted another exit. Yowling to Leafpool, she ran to the tunnel.

Leafpool followed, but Tornear was quick on their paws. Bramblestar leaped forward, landing on Nightcloud, while Tornear padded to Leafpool.

Leafpool quickly slipped to one side and crashed into Tornear's side. But Tornear was a warrior, especially trained for fighting and hunting. He managed to keep his balance and swiped his claws at her.

Leafpool jumped back and raced over to Nightcloud, who was being pinned down by Bramblestar. To Leafpool's horrow, he made a huge gash down Nightcloud's flank.

Nightcloud swiped furiously at Bramblestar's belly. Feeling a shock of pain down her flank, she glanced at it. A huge red line of blood made a stripe of red down her black fur. She finally kicked Bramblestar of her. Tornear jumped back too, walking toward them next to Bramblestar.

"Go! Save yourself!" yowled Nightcloud.

"I'm not leaving you behind!" hissed Leafpool.

Leafpool jumped in front of Nightcloud and somehow tore a gash in Bramblestar's belly. She leaped on him, knocking him over, and kicked Tornear to a corner of the cavern, where he lay, winded.

Hissing in frustration, Bramblestar threw her off and padded back to his companions.

"We'll let you off this time. But next time you won't be so lucky."

Meowing these last words, Bramblestar left, Tornear and Whitetail following him.

"Um…Leafpool? How did you do that? You fought like an experienced warrior!" gasped Nightcloud.

"I have no clue. Let me see that cut," mewed the brown tabby.

Nightcloud turned to show the red stripe that ran through her fur. Leafpool looked closer.

"Big, but not deep. It'll heal," meowed Leafpool. "I wish I had some cobwebs and marigold."

Groaning, Nightcloud heaved herself to her paws and walked forward. Every step hurt!

Leafpool couldn't resist meowing, "Lean on me." Nightcloud carefully rested her wounded side on Leafpool. They slowly made their way to the exit. As they reached fresh air, Nightcloud gasped.

"WindClan territory!"

Leafpool blinked her eyes in the light. Hills surrounded her.

"We can stay in the WindClan camp!" exclaimed Nightcloud.

"Great! But you're not sleeping outside."

"Why? WindClan cats always sleep outside!"

"Cause you're wounded!"

Nightcloud muttered something. Leafpool pretended not to notice and guided Nightcloud up a hill to the WindClan camp. She set Nightcloud in the medicine den. To her relief, Barkface's herbs were still there, and most of them were still usable. Grabbing some cobwebs and marigold, she treated the WindClan cat's cut.

Leafpool made sure Nightcloud stayed in the medicine den before leaving the camp. She needed to hunt, though she wasn't the best rabbit hunter. Luckily, the rabbits were many, since WindClan had moved to ThunderClan territory. She caught two and brought them back. Along the way, she reached the stream. Leafpool drank some and brought some for Nightcloud.

Nightcloud ate one rabbit and Leafpool ate the other. Yawning, Leafpool rested her head on her paws to wait.

"Leafpool! Don't sleep!" Nightcloud mewed.

"Why?" Leafpool opened her eyes.

"I think we should keep on going. It'll be easier to travel in the dark…"

"You're wounded. We'll rest tonight and tomorrow. We'll leave tomorrow night."

"Okay."

Resting her head on her paws again, Leafpool let sleep take control of her. Nightcloud, however, couldn't sleep, so she padded outside to exercise. She went out to catch a few rabbits, returning with two.

Nightcloud went back to the medicine den. This time, sleep washed over her like water down a waterfall.


	3. Chapter 3: Forming Friendship

Leafpool opened her eyes. Scrambling to her paws, she saw a rabbit in front of her. Her gaze turned to Nightcloud.

But the black she-cat wasn't there. Leafpool ran outside. Where was Nightcloud? The black she-cat was injured and probably couldn't go that far. Was she out hunting?

Just then, Nightcloud entered the camp. Seeing Leafpool, she raced over to the brown tabby.

"Did you eat the rabbit yet?" questioned the black she-cat.

Leafpool shook her head. "I just woke up. Where were you?"

"Getting a drink of water. What, do I have to ask every time I set paw out of camp?" answered Nightcloud sharply.

"No, I was just asking."

Leafpool quickly swallowed the rabbit in a few bites. "Come over to the medicine den. I need to check your wound."

Leafpool walked to the medicine den. Nightcloud sighed. She had half lied. It wasn't just a drink of water. She was WindClan. She was speed. She was air.

Nightcloud twitched her tail and ran to the medicine den. Lying down on the cold ground, Nightcloud waited for Leafpool, who was deeper in the den, checking herbs.

Leafpool walked over and sniffed the wound. It was healing well. She took of the old cobwebs and put new ones on. Only then, did she realize how thirsty she was. She hadn't had water all morning. Leafpool finished her work tidying the herbs and left camp.

"Drink of water!" Leafpool called over her shoulder to Nightcloud, who waved her tail in farewell.

Leafpool followed Nightcloud's scent, which was not exactly stale, but not fresh either. After a bit of tracking, Leafpool reached the stream which marked the border between ThunderClan and WindClan.

Bowing her head to drink, Leafpool lapped up a few drops of water. She lifted her head and licked her lips. The feeling was familiar. Leafpool closed her eyes. Where had she drank water before?

_The Moonpool! _The thought hit her. She should check with her warrior ancestors. StarClan would tell her where to go. But Nightcloud would be waiting.

_I'll do it later, _thought Leafpool. She walked back to camp, where Nightcloud was sunning herself in the sun. Sun-high had already come.

Leafpool called out a greeting, and wondered what to do. There was no hungry Clan to be fed, no sick Clan to be healed, and no weak Clan to be helped. She had no Clan now, just Nightcloud. Much as they were rivals, Leafpool walked to the black she-cat and lay down next to her. Just as Leafpool was wondering to say something or not, Nightcloud opened her mouth.

"We need to plan where we're going. We can't stay here forever," she mewed.

"Why not?"

"Because Bramblestar will eventually find us here. We have to keep on the move."

Leafpool sighed. She would miss this place. It reminded her of her days as the ThunderClan medicine cat. But Nightcloud was right. Would she rather die surrounded by memories or live?

"Okay, where do you think we should go?" asked the brown tabby.

"I haven't figured it all out yet," began Nightcloud. "But when you were out for a drink, I thought about it. I think we should circle the lake. We can go on to RiverClan territory, or what was RiverClan's territory, then go on to ShadowClan territory."

"Why? Why don't we go on to unknown territory?"

"Because we know this place. It's our home. Or do you want to run away again?" Nightcloud meowed the last part sharply.

Leafpool slid into a crouch and bared her teeth into a snarl. "You're not the most pretty cat in WindClan. At least Crowfeather loved me enough to give up his Clan to run away with me!"

"Oh, yeah? You're saying he didn't love me? Then why did we mate and have kits?" spat Nightcloud.

"He'll always like me! He only mated you to show his Clan that he's loyal! He doesn't like you! You just like him!" snarled Leafpool.

Nightcloud looked as if she wanted to spring at Leafpool and kill her. Just as the black she-cat opened her mouth to speak, Leafpool beat her to it.

"I wouldn't cause a fight if I were you, Nightcloud. Your cut's still healing."

"I'm a warrior! You're just a weak little medicine cat!"

"_Just_ a medicine cat? I saved your life in the cavern!"

"I would have rather died fighting than to be with _you_! The stealer of my mate! The one who broke the warrior code! Who doesn't even deserve to be loved by Crowfeather!"

As soon as she meowed these words, Nightcloud knew she had gotten too far. Leafpool buried her head in her paws.

"Do you know what I've gone through? I've lost Crowfeather, and Cinderpelt, my mentor, too!"

At this point, (if cats can cry) Leafpool burst into tears. She raced back to the medicine den and out of view.

Nightcloud tried not to be sorry. She had meowed the truth. But guilt swam around her until she could no longer bear it. She raced to the medicine den, seeing Leafpool immediately.

Leafpool was still crying. Her tail lashed back and forth, and Nightcloud saw that even the moss was wet.

"Leafpool, I'm sorry." The words tumbled out of Nightcloud.

Leafpool didn't answer. She kept on crying, and Nightcloud felt more guilty.

Without thinking, Nightcloud lay beside Leafpool and gently licked her ears. Leafpool lifted her head and licked Nightcloud gratefully. After a few seconds of silence, Nightcloud meowed,

"Tell me about how you left Crowfeather."

Leafpool licked her paw and started mewing,

"It all started when Mudclaw attacked WindClan to kill Onestar. Crowfeather was chasing two ShadowClan warriors. They fell of the gorge, but I didn't. I only got swept to the side. I was holding on for my life when Crowfeather appeared. I called for him to help he, but he acted like he couldn't hear me."

"Did he hear you, though?"

"No. I got him to listen to me, and he pulled me up. He told me that he loved me. We snuck in moments to see each other. One night, he asked me to run away with him. I thought about it and agreed. See, there was this other ThunderClan cat who was acting like she was the medicine cat. I was jealous."

"After I left, I received a dream. I dreamed about Cinderpelt's cry of pain. We headed back immediately, but I was too late to save Cinderpelt. I blamed myself for her death."

"But it wasn't your fault! It was the badgers!" exclaimed Nightcloud.

"Yes, but I thought that if I had gotten back earlier, I would have been able to help her fight off the badger."

Nightcloud had nothing to say to this. Leafpool got up stretched.

"So what was your plan?"

"To go around the Clan territory. We'll figure something out. Maybe we'll even find the others."

"Okay. We need our energy, go I'm going to sleep."

Leafpool padded to her nest. Finding that it was wet with tears, she lay down on the cold floor. Seeing her lay down, Nightcloud padded to her.

"You can have my nest. WindClan sleep outside."

"But-"

"I'll stay near the medicine den," promised Nightcloud quickly.

Leafpool nodded and Nightcloud ran outside. She seemed happy to do so. Leafpool padded to Nightcloud's nest, her nest now. She sank into the soft moss and instantly sleep ran over her.


	4. Chapter 4: The Horseplace

Leafpool lifted her head, groggy from sleep. She glanced at the sleeping figure of Nightcloud and padded out. The sun was setting, and they would start out soon.

Sighing, Leafpool meowed, "StarClan, when will this nightmare end?"

No cat answered her. Leafpool looked at the sky again and heard her belly growl. Looking at the medicine den, Leafpool wondered if she should wake Nightcloud and tell her where she was going. But, no, Leafpool didn't need to ask permission. And Nightcloud wouldn't appreciate being woke up.

Leafpool crept out of camp. She decided to get a drink of water first, and bring some water back for Nightcloud. Leafpool warned herself to be careful, Bramblestar and his warriors might be here. She scented the air, and finding nothing, she set out for the stream.

The tabby she-cat walked down the hill warily. Following the lake to a stream, Leafpool stopped. She still had to be careful, this was still TigerClan territory. Bending her head to drink from the stream, she lapped up a few cold drops. Only then did she remember to go to the Moonpool.

Raising her head in alarm, Leafpool dashed alongside the stream to the Moonpool. She needed to go to the Moonpool before night fell. When she arrived, she saw a bunch of TigerClan warriors patrolling the area. Leaning closer, Leafpool could hear what they were mewing.

"I don't get why Bramblestar makes us patrol this area," yawned one cat. Leafpool recognized Tornear.

"Cats will probably come through here," answered another cat. Whitetail, Leafpool recognized.

"Maybe," mewed Ashfoot. _Why is she here? thought Leafpool. She was the deputy before this._

Cautiously, Leafpool inched back. She couldn't stay. Nightcloud would be waiting. Leafpool raced away, crashing into a rabbit. When it was dazed, Leafpool swung her claws at it, killing it instantly. Picking it up with her teeth, she took it back to an impatient Nightcloud.

"Here," meowed Leafpool, placing the rabbit at Nightcloud's paws.

"We'll share." Nightcloud licked her paw.

Leafpool bent her head to take a bite out of the rabbit. Nightcloud bent her head, too, and the rabbit was soon gone.

"I was going to bring you back some water," began Leafpool.

"Why didn't you?" Nightcloud questioned.

"Well…I went to the Moonpool."

"To ask our warrior ancestors what to do," guessed Nightcloud.

Leafpool nodded. "Bramblestar has ordered a bunch of guards there. He's clever. He knows that sooner or later, some of us will go there."

"Where you seen?"

"Don't think so. Sorry about the water."

"It's okay," mewed Nightcloud. "Let's go."

Leafpool nodded.

Nightcloud walked out of camp. She scented the air, wondering which way to go. "RiverClan," she decided.

"Leopardstar can help us," agreed Leafpool.

"If RiverClan hasn't been taken over already," Nightcloud pointed out.

"They _can't_ be. There's no scent of TigerClan warriors here, and the only other way is through ShadowClan territory. Blackstar's no fool," protested the tabby.

Nightcloud walked a few steps before scenting a rabbit. Her stomach was still growling. Picking up speed, she raced after the fleeing rabbit.

Leafpool followed, pressing her belly close to the ground. Nightcloud caught the rabbit and placed it to the ground, waiting for Leafpool to catch up.

"We'll share," Nightcloud murmured.

Swallowing the rabbit quickly, the two set out once more for RiverClan territory. They soon reached a path where Twolegs walked on. It wasn't a Thunderpath, though.

"I think we should stop at the horseplace," mewed Leafpool.

"But if we continue, we can reach help faster," argued Nightcloud.

"We don't know if they'll help us," Leafpool pointed out.

"They might."

"And they might not. They could chase us off. Besides, RiverClan aren't exactly welcoming," Leafpool retorted.

"All right."

They crossed the path with ease and continued to the horseplace. They reached it just as the sun went up.

Nightcloud looked at the horses disdainfully. She quickly passed them and neared the barn.

"Smoky!" called Leafpool. "Floss!"

The gray and white tom came into view. The small gray and white she-cat followed.

"You're those Clan cats Daisy went with," Smoky mewed.

"Yes," meowed Leafpool. Thinking it was impolite to ask a favor this way, she mewed, "Greetings. I am Leafpool of ThunderClan and this is Nightcloud of WindClan."

"I see," answered Smoky. "What are you here for?"

"Um…." Leafpool was unsure of how to start.

"There's this evil cat that took over our homes," meowed Nightcloud.

"His name's Bramblestar," added Leafpool. "He chased us out of our homes, and now we have nowhere to go."

"We traveled here," continued Nightcloud. "We were hoping that you would let us stay with you for…um…"

"A while!" blurted Leafpool.

Floss and Smoky exchanged looks. Smoky leaned over to whisper something in Floss's ear. Floss whispered back.

Nightcloud and Leafpool exchanged appalled glances. Smoky finally lifted his head to speak to the two Clan cats.

"Sure, you can stay here," he meowed casually. "You might want to stay out of the Nofurs' sight."

"Nofurs?" asked Nightcloud.

"Nofurs are Twolegs," hissed Leafpool quietly.

"Oh," whispered Nightcloud.

Floss looked them over. "Come in, do. You look exhausted."

Too tired to protest, they entered the barn. Smoky showed them where they could rest.

"It's hidden from the Nofurs," he explained.

Just then, Leafpool caught sight of a familiar cream-colored pelt.

"Daisy!" Leafpool exclaimed.

Daisy turned around. Catching sight of Leafpool, she dashed over.

"Leafpool?"

"That's me!" purred Leafpool. "How did you come here?"

"When Bramblestar chased us out, I headed straight across WindClan territory and back here," explained Daisy.

"But we were on WindClan territory, and we didn't see you," meowed Nightcloud.

"Well, I didn't stop. Kept on going until I reached the horseplace," meowed Daisy, her gaze turning to Nightcloud. "Who's this?"

"Nightcloud of WindClan," mewed Nightcloud.

A Twoleg entered the room. Nightcloud gave a squeak of alarm and jumped back into the hiding spot. Leafpool darted in after her.

"How are we going to get water?" whispered Nightcloud. "I'm not drinking that stale Twoleg water!"

"The lake's not far away. And there's mice here."

"Wait until the Twoleg's gone," warned Nightcloud.

They heard the door slam shut, and the Twoleg left. The two cats crept from their hiding place, still wary.

"It's okay, they're gone," purred Daisy.

"I'm going to hunt," meowed Nightcloud.

"I'll go for a drink of water," answered Leafpool.

"Okay, see you."

Leafpool nodded and walked out. Nightcloud watched her go. The Twoleg nest suddenly seemed so safe compared to any Clan territory.

Yawning, Nightcloud caught two mice, eating one and saving one for Leafpool. She left the mouse outside the hiding spot and fell asleep.

Leafpool came back from the lake with her mouth dripping with water. She saw the mouse and knew that Nightcloud had left it there.

_How nice of her to leave me one, Leafpool thought as she munched on the mouse. _

Leafpool finished the mouse and crept in beside Nightcloud to sleep. Smoky and Floss were already asleep, but Daisy wasn't. When the cream colored she-cat saw her return, she walked over to her.

"When do you think that this will end?" murmured Daisy.

Leafpool suddenly remembered Daisy's three kits. "Where are your kits?"

"Oh, they're here. They were already asleep when you came," Daisy purred.

"Where are they?" questioned Leafpool.

"Here." Daisy led her to a small nest, where three kits lay asleep. Leafpool saw the three kits, cuddling together, fast asleep.

Leafpool suddenly had a thought. How could she say this?

"Daisy," she began.

"Yes?" asked Daisy.

"Uh, would you like to, uh, join us?" Leafpool questioned.

"Join you! I'd love to, but my kits can't travel, and I won't be any help much."

"You're right," muttered Leafpool. "Never mind."

"I think you should go to sleep if you're leaving tomorrow. You'll need your energy," advised Daisy.

Leafpool shot Daisy one more glance. Daisy seemed different here at the horseplace. More…._wise._ At the ThunderClan camp, Daisy had been timid, just a nursery queen.

Leafpool slid into the hidden spot next to Nightcloud. She curled up into a ball and let sleep take control of her.


	5. Chapter 5: River Trouble

Nightcloud raised her head sleepily. Light flowed in from a crack. She rose to her paws and padded out of the hidden spot. It was already sunset. Daisy, Smoky, and Floss were already up. They were eating the Twoleg food, chatting with each other.

Nightcloud glanced beside her. Leafpool was getting up to her paws. She rose and stretched.

"We have to go soon," mewed Nightcloud softly.

"We should eat first. We don't want to steal prey from RiverClan," Leafpool pointed out.

"Oh, you're up," Smoky meowed, padding over to them.

"We'll be leaving soon," Nightcloud mewed quickly.

"That soon? You can stay longer," replied Floss, joining them with Daisy.

"We have to keep going. We want to find the other Clan cats," Leafpool hissed.

"You're looking for the others? You should have told us," Daisy replied.

Nightcloud's heartbeat quickened. "Have you seen any of them?"

"Let's see, that black tom did pass by. Crowfeather, is that his name?" Daisy answered.

"You've seen Crowfeather?!" gasped both she-cats.

"Yes, he came from the hills over there. Stayed with us one night before you came."

"What direction did he go in?" asked Leafpool.

"RiverClan territory. We heard him mutter something about circling the lake, looking for other cats, in his sleep."

"We have to go! Maybe we can catch up to him," exclaimed Nightcloud.

"No hurry. You can eat first," Smoky meowed.

Nightcloud and Leafpool exchanged glances. They were hungry, but if they started out now, they had more chance of catching up to Crowfeather.

"We'll eat first," mewed Leafpool before Nightcloud could reply.

Nightcloud scented the air. Scenting a mouse, she slid into a crouch and crept forward. The mouse froze for a heartbeat before starting to dig for food again. Silently thanking StarClan, Nightcloud pounced, killing the mouse with one blow of her paw. Leafpool caught another mouse, and they both swallowed their mice quickly.

"We should stop by the lake for water," suggested Leafpool as they finished the fresh-kill.

"Right."

Nightcloud took the lead, sliding under the Twoleg thing. She raced to the lake, lapping up clear drops of water.

Leafpool followed Nightcloud to the water. She lapped up enough water to quench her thirst, then lifted her head to wait for her companion to finish.

Nightcloud finished soon after Leafpool had. Leafpool took the lead, mewing goodbye to the horseplace cats.

Leafpool glanced sorrowfully to the horseplace they had just left. It was so safe, and Leafpool would miss Daisy. She sighed and quickened her pace.

Nightcloud watched as her companion glanced back at the place they had just left. She would miss it too, it was such a safe place. But if they succeeded in showing Bramblestar that he was wrong, she would see everything she had known forever again.

Leafpool could see the beginning of the marshes that RiverClan lived in. She wondered if Nightcloud would agree to get her paws wet. After all, the black she-cat was WindClan, and WindClan was the Clan that was least used to water.

"Let's keep close to the horseplace," suggested Nightcloud. "We won't have to get our paws wet."

For a heartbeat, Leafpool felt like disagreeing. The way in the marshes was quicker. But Crowfeather was WindClan, too, and he probably would have gone the way Nightcloud suggested.

Leafpool nodded and turned toward the horseplace again. Nightcloud led the way this time.

Nightcloud took up the lead and walked toward the horseplace. When they reached the horseplace, Nightcloud turned so they traveled alongside the Twoleg fence.

When a horse stamped its foot near the two she-cats, both of them jumped away. Glancing at each other briefly, they continued on their way.

As they reached the end of the marshes, they started to go deeper into RiverClan territory. Staying wary, their eyes flickered from side to side.

Leafpool set her paws down stiffly. She reminded herself that she was in RiverClan territory, and they didn't welcome ThunderClan, or WindClan, cats on their territory. They had to make sure that Leopardstar knew what they were doing here.

Leafpool glanced ahead. "A river!"

Nightcloud followed her gaze. She noticed the river, and raced up to it. Glancing at it, she dipped a paw in the water. Letting out a yelp, she jumped back.

"It's cold!" she yelped.

Leafpool looked at her coolly. "We can jump over it."

"It's not exactly narrow, if you know what I mean."

"Good point. But the RiverClan camp is just ahead. We're almost there." Leafpool sighed and padded to the river. Backing up a few steps, she ran up to it and leaped.

Nightcloud held her breath, watching Leafpool soar in the air and land in the water. Leafpool's head burst out of the water as Leafpool paddled to the other side and drag herself out of the water.

Leafpool shook herself and glanced back at the other side. Nightcloud was looking at the water with round frightened eyes.

"It's okay, you can make it," Leafpool reassured her from the other side.

Nightcloud tore her gaze from the water to the brown tabby. She backed up a few steps and ran up. She leaped. _I can make it!_

Suddenly, water seemed to reach up and grab her. As she struggled to reach the surface, panic closed around her. The last thing she saw was water, blocking out the air.


	6. Chapter 6: A Friend

**Well, my first attempt toward humor! I won't be updating for a few weeks, since I have this vacation trip. Sorry!**

**Reviews, please!**Leafpool watched helplessly as Nightcloud disappeared under the rushing water. She almost cried out in horror, but remembering that this was RiverClan territory, she slapped her tail over her mouth.

* * *

A swishing sound made her turn around. A RiverClan patrol was making its way toward her. Leafpool recognized Hawkfrost in the lead, with Blackclaw and his apprentice, Beechpaw.

Leafpool waved her tail nervously in greeting and opened her mouth to speak. But Hawkfrost beat her to it.

"What are you doing here?" he demanded.

"Nightcloud! She fell into the river! You have to save he-"

Before she could finish, Beechpaw dove into the rushing water currents. He returned a few heartbeats later with a limp pile of black fur. Leafpool gasped and ran over to the black she-cat.

Remembering her medicine cat training, she worked with Nightcloud so that she spit out water and opened her eyes.

"What in StarClan…" she began.

"Rest," whispered Leafpool. "A RiverClan patrol's here."

"RiverClan!" exclaimed Nightcloud as she jumped up to her paws before collapsing in exhaustion.

Leafpool brushed her tail against Nightcloud's shoulder. Then she remembered the RiverClan cats. Hawkfrost sniffed Nightcloud closely.

"Well, we better get them back to camp." Blackclaw addressed Hawkfrost instead of the two intruders.

"I suppose," Hawkfrost replied disdainfully.

Before Leafpool could speak, Blackclaw lifted Nightcloud while Beechpaw padded beside her.

"Don't even think about unsheathing your claws," he hissed.

"I won't," spat Leafpool.

As the RiverClan cats escorted them to their camp, Leafpool couldn't help but notice that they seemed to be more…_bold_…than usual. As they arrived, Leafpool noticed two ShadowClan warriors guarding the entrance. _ShadowClan! _What were they doing on RiverClan territory? Leafpool recognized Oakfur and Cedarheart.

Hawkfrost led them inside, where Beechpaw took them to the medicine cat den, where they were to stay until RiverClan had decided what to do with them.

Leafpool found Mothwing tidying up her herb store. Calling softly to her so not to attract attention, Leafpool was able to get Mothwing's attention.

"Mothwing!" whispered the brown tabby. "What's going on?"

"I'll tell you everything," answered Mothwing. "But not now. Hawkstar will see."

"Hawk_star_? What about Mistyfoot and Leopardstar?"

"Hawkstar killed them. He's leader now," mewed Mothwing. "I'll tell you the details when everyone has gone to sleep."

"Ok, Mothwing."

Trying to make herself comfortable, Leafpool twisted around on the cold floor, trying to sleep. She needed her energy, as the next day might bring her a fight with Hawkstar.

Mothwing sighed. She could tell from Leafpool's condition that Brambleclaw, Hawkstar and Mothwing's half-brother had become Bramblestar. Obviously, he had exiled loyal cats, just as Hawkstar had done. Mothwing often wondered about Tawnypelt. She would probably be welcome here, since she was Tigerstar's other daughter. But Mothwing wasn't sure. Tawnypelt was clever; she could tell right from wrong, and she knew that this was wrong.

Turning to treat Nightcloud, Mothwing saw that Leafpool had already helped Nightcloud get the water out. Mothwing couldn't see what else to do but let the WindClan cat rest.

Mothwing watched Leafpool sleep. She would probably want to leave as soon as possible. But Hawkstar would not let them. Mothwing knew enough about Hawkstar to know that he would either kill them, or return them to Bramblestar. There was no other way out of camp except the camp entrance. And there were guards.

Nightcloud opened her eyes and scrambled to her paws. Seeing Mothwing, she bared her teeth into a snarl.

"It's okay," Mothwing reassured her. "This is the RiverClan camp. After you collapsed, you were brought here. Are you okay?"

"Of course I am!" snapped Nightcloud. "Why shouldn't I be?"

_My, this is one grumpy cat!_ Mothwing thought. She didn't reply.

Leafpool stirred and awoke. "Nightcloud, you're awake!"

"Of course I am!" Nightcloud snapped back. "How are we going to get out?"

"We don't have to plan that far ahead!" exclaimed Leafpool. "You have to get better first."

"Don't have to plan that far head? You might be rabbit waiting to be caught, but I'm not!"

Leafpool felt a rush of anger. "_You're_ the WindClan cat! ThunderClan cats don't chase rabbits!"

"Don't you dare insult WindClan! At least WindClan cats know when to talk and when to not!"

"Oh, really? Then maybe you know that you should shut up now!" retorted Leafpool cheekily.

As Nightcloud turned away, Leafpool noticed a bunch of RiverClan cats staring at them in amusement.

Mothwing quickly stepped between the quarreling cats. "You better not think of escaping!" she mewed loudly.

Nightcloud opened her mouth to argue, but Leafpool nudged her. "Can't you see? She's just faking it!"

After the RiverClan cats had turned away, Mothwing nudged them deeper into the den.

"I think you could trick the guards somehow. That's like the only way to escape."

"How are we supposed to do that?" asked Leafpool.

"I don't know," admitted Mothwing.

"I don't know." Nightcloud imitated Mothwing's tones. "Well, if even a medicine cat doesn't know, how are we?"

Leafpool shoved her muzzle in Nightcloud's face. "You seem to have forgotten that _I_ was a medicine cat."

"_Was_! But not now. You're nothing!"

"Well, then you're nothing either! You're not a WindClan warrior anymore!"

"Hey, hey, calm down. You won't be able to trick guards while you're arguing," meowed Mothwing.

"Maybe not!" agreed Nightcloud. "But since it's getting dark, we can't trick guards today either!"

Meowing these last words, Nightcloud lay down and closed her eyes before any cat could protest.

Sighing, Leafpool turned to Mothwing. "Guess I'll need my energy tomorrow, too. Night, Mothwing."

"Night, Leafpool."

Leafpool seated herself on the cold ground and fell asleep after a few heartbeats.

Mothwing glanced at the two sleeping figures. They wouldn't be able to trick any guards unless they knew who the guards were. Since she knew all the RiverClan cats, she would be able to help. Walking away from her den, Mothwing crept toward the leader's den.


	7. Chapter 7: Cliffhanger!

Nightcloud blinked open her eyes. A moment's confusion passed over her as she drank in the RiverClan scent. Then she remembered.

Stretching, Nightcloud looked around. A lump of sleeping tabby fur lay on the ground, but Mothwing had left the den.

"Where's Mothwing?"

A black RiverClan tom called from the entrance of the den. Nightcloud recognized Blackclaw.

"Well, looks like you're all better now!" he snapped. "So, where's Mothwing?"

Nightcloud had no idea where Mothwing could have gone, but she kept her mouth shut.

"Do I have to claw your fur off?" Blackclaw snarled. "Where's is she?"

Nightcloud narrowed her eyes. Blackclaw was a huge supporter of Hawkfrost, and obviously pretty popular with RiverClan. He was getting impatient, Nightcloud could tell. She had no intention of picking a fight with him, but he was asking for a ripped throat.

"How should I know that?" Nightcloud spat. "She was already gone when I woke!"

Blackclaw let out a hiss of annoyance. "If Hawkstar knows what's best for the Clan, then he'd better turn you in to Bramblestar!"

"Who made you the medicine cat?" Nightcloud shot back.

Blackclaw's eyes shone with outrage. "Don't insult the Clan deputy!"

"Clan deputy? StarClan, how stupid is Hawkstar?" Nightcloud wondered aloud.

"Don't insult our leader, either!"

"Then don't insult me," Nightcloud replied coldly, turning away.

Blackclaw stared at her coldy, then turned at walked away.

"Don't pick a fight with him."

Nightcloud spun around. The pile of tabby fur had rose and was stretching.

"Who made you the medicine cat here?" Nightcloud snapped. After Blackclaw, Nightcloud had no patience with Leafpool and her oh-so-perfect-and-wise ways.

"I _am_ a medicine cat!" Leafpool mewed.

"Not here," retorted Nightcloud.

Leafpool glared at her, then turned away. Nightcloud felt a stab of satisfaction inside her. Leafpool would learn that she wasn't the smartest cat around!

* * *

Mothwing called into Hawkstar's den. "Hawkstar?"

"Come in."

Mothwing crept into the den.

"Make it quick," snapped Hawkstar. "I have other better things to do."

Mothwing narrowed his eyes. Being leader certainly hadn't made Hawkstar more polite.

"Well? Get on with it!" snarled the brown tabby.

Mothwing twitched her ears. If she asked right now, it would sound too suspicious. No, she had to talk about medicine cat stuff, and then slowly change the subject to guards.

"WELL? Do I have to yowl to make you hear me?!"

Mothwing flicked her tail nervously. She had no idea what to meow. She wished she had planned out what she was doing first. But Hawkstar was getting impatient, and she knew it was _not_ nice to see him angry.

"Um, well, uh, you see….." Mothwing stalled.

"Yes?" Hawkstar hissed with one eye closed lazily.

"Uh….I got a sign from StarClan!" Mothwing mewed the first thing she could think of.

"So? Don't you remember this Clan doesn't care about StarClan anymore?" Hawkstar growled.

"Yes, but, well, StarClan told me something useful that you might want to know," Mothwing meowed, feeling confident again.

"What is it?" Hawkstar meowed, sounding interested.

_Ha! I got him! Now for the easy part! _thought Mothwing.

"I don't really understand it, but I remember that there was a tiger. Not just a tiger, it was _huge_," mewed Mothwing.

"And?"

"Then I saw something jump at the tiger. It was so fast, I couldn't see what it was. Then the next thing I knew, the tiger was dead, and I woke up."

"What do you think it means?" asked Hawkstar thoughtfully.

"Well, I thought that maybe the tiger meant TigerClan, and that something will attack us…"

"Like what?" growled Hawkstar.

"I don't know. Foxes, badgers, those dogs in the hills, maybe? Anyway, we should keep a close watch over the camp."

"You think they'll attack the camp?"

"Probably. Who's on guard tonight?"

Hawkstar narrowed his eyes. "Beechpaw……Do you think we should post more guards?"

Mothwing's heartbeat quickened. More guards were the last thing she wanted. "No, no. Beechpaw might think that you don't trust him if you do that. I'm sure he'll be fine on his own. Let's just keep this sign a secret. We wouldn't want to panic the Clan."

"Of course not. Very well, Mothwing, I will do as you say."

Mothwing's eyes widened in surprise. Hawkstar had never, _ever_ listened to what she meowed. Maybe him being leader had its advantages.

Dipping her head to Hawkstar, Mothwing slipped out of the den and crept into her own den.

Nightcloud and Leafpool had their backs turned to each other, but Mothwing could see boredom in every twitch of their tails.

"I'm back," she meowed softly.

Both cats spun around to face her.

"Blackclaw was looking for you," reported Nightcloud.

"Where were you?" asked Leafpool.

"In the leader's den. And, thanks, Nightcloud, I'll check on Blackclaw right now," replied Mothwing.

"Wait, what did you find out?" urged Leafpool.

"Come closer, and I'll tell you………."


	8. Chapter 8: Godzilla!

**First of all, sorry for not updating. I've been busy with homework and other stuff. Here's a extra long chapter!**

**Should I start a new fanfiction? I really want to, but this one's keeping me busy.**

Leafpool glanced nervously at Mothwing. She trusted her friend, but what if there was a mistake? There would be no chance for escape!

So they had tonight. They could escape….or they could be caught and forced to stay here forever.

Next to her, Nightcloud looked so brave, so…..impressive. Compared to this cat, she was weak.

_So what? _she told herself. Crowfeather loved her, and that was what mattered. But, thinking deeper, _what is?_ What Nightcloud had in her what they needed to escape. If they didn't escape, they might never see Crowfeather again.

Nightcloud was with her, she reminded herself silently. At least they weren't against each other entirely now.

All they needed to do was wait till moonhigh. Then the plan would hatch.

As the sun sank deeper, Nightcloud and Leafpool, in Mothwing's den, watched the clearing. Cats started to leave for the night, to their dens. Mothwing was nowhere to be seen.

"There she is!" whispered Nightcloud, angling her head to where a golden head popped out of the elders den.

Leafpool felt a stab of relief. The plan was going well. Mothwing glanced at them, and winked. She padded across the clearing to the entrance.

"Out for herbs," Leafpool heard Mothwing murmur as she disappeared through the tunnel.

"We've got to get ready," Leafpool hissed, turning to Nightcloud.

Nightcloud's whiskers twitched. "Whatever you say, Wise One."

Leafpool tried to ignore the comment. She rolled in a pile of strong-smelling herbs, and Nightcloud did the same. Both of them got up and tried to lick off the remaining scraps of the herbs stuck to their pelts.

Outside, the sun disappeared from sight. The clearing was all empty now.

Nightcloud crept out first, and Leafpool followed her. The black she-cat inched quietly toward the entrance of camp.

The two she-cats hid themselves in some ferns beside the camp entrance. Then they waited.

The night was quiet. Beechpaw showed no sign of seeing the hidden she-cats. He scented the air.

Leafpool held her breath. Beechpaw stayed where he was.

A howl cut through the silent night. Beechpaw angled her ears toward the sound and took one step aggressively closer to it.

"I'll go first," whispered Nightcloud. The black she-cat took advantage of Beechpaw's turned back and darted through the camp entrance, and out of sight.

Beechpaw turned back toward the ferns. _Now how was she going to escape?_

Another howl made Beechpaw turn. Seeing her chance, Leafpool ran toward the entrance, accidentally knocking over Beechpaw.

Quick as lightning, Beechpaw grabbed her and pinned her down. "What do you think you're doing here?" he hissed in her ear.

Suddenly, the weight vanished. Leafpool got up to see Nightcloud batting Beechpaw aside like he was a troublesome kit. In the battlefield, Nightcloud looked huge and dangerous as she glared down at the apprentice.

"Prisoners loose! Prisoners loose near the camp entr-" Beechpaw's warning was cut short as Nightcloud pinned him down.

"Go! They'll be after us in a heartbeat!" snarled Nightcloud.

Leafpool ran out the camp and into the bushes. Mothwing was waiting.

"That was a great howl!" exclaimed Leafpool.

"Well….sometimes I use it to fool the patrols," Mothwing meowed shyly.

"Really?"

"Yeah, and it's really funny how to react. They get all scar-Wait, where's Nightcloud?"

"Over here." Nightcloud appeared from the bushes.

"Did they catch you?" asked Leafpool.

"No, but last time I looked, cats were assembling in the clearing. We better go," reported the black she-cat.

"Nightcloud's right, you should go," mewed Mothwing.

"_You _should go? You mean you're not coming with us?" asked Leafpool.

"No, my place is here. RiverCl-I mean TigerClan needs a medicine cat," answered Mothwing, her eyes shining in the moonlight.

"What about Willow-hey, where's Willowpaw?" Leafpool mewed.

A wave of sadness spread through Mothwing's eyes. "She got exiled for speaking against Hawkstar."

"Oh. I'm sorry," meowed Leafpool, pressing her muzzle to Mothwing's comfortingly.

Nightcloud gave a cough. "Seeing that you want to stay and get caught, I'll be going now."

"Hey! Who told you I wanted to stay? For your information, I do not!" Leafpool shot back.

"If you're going to stay and be caught in memories and get distracted by the simplest goodbyes, you're going to get caught," Nightcloud pointed out dryly.

"Fine! Have it your way! I don't need you!" Leafpool snapped.

"Sure…..but how will a weak, exiled medicine cat survive on her own?" sneered Nightcloud.

"I'm not weak! Need I remind you, medicine cats have warrior training, too!"

"Oh, how silly of me. Of course a medicine cat, whose been given a bit of training in fighting, can defeat a warrior whose been trained in fighting her whole life!" taunted the black she-cat.

"I'm not saying that a medicine cat can beat a warrior! I'm just saying I can hold out on my own."

"Sure you can…………against the whole TigerClan."

"You can't either!"

"I can stand a better chance than you. What use will you be? Scrambling around to help the sick?"

Leafpool's eyes flashed, but before she could shoot back a retort, Mothwing broke them apart.

"Quit arguing! If you don't leave now, you'll be caught, and I'll be in as much trouble as you! And stay together. You need each other."

"Right, Mothwing," muttered Leafpool.

"Another medicine cat! Of course you'll stand up for your little medicine cat friend here! What about me? I'm a _warrior_. I don't need Leafpool or _anyone_," insisted Nightcloud.

"You'll need a medicine cat to tend to your wounds," Mothwing pointed out.

"Do not! Rogues don't have medicine cats, but they survive just fine!"

"So you want to be a rogue?"

Nightcloud blinked. " Maybe we are rogues now. After all, we've been exiled."

"No, you're not! You're still a warrior and you're still a medicine cat," meowed Mothwing.

Suddenly, the bushes were pushed aside. Hawkstar appeared. "So you're behind this," he hissed to his sister.

"HAWKSTAR!!" screamed Leafpool.

"OMG, IT'S GODZILLA!!" screamed Nightcloud.

Hawkstar stopped, surprised at their reaction. Leafpool and Mothwing stared at Nightcloud.

Nightcloud looked at them, then at Hawkstar. "RUN!!"

Leafpool and Mothwing looked at each other and fled. Nightcloud ran after then, screaming as she ran. "GODZILLA!! GODZILLA IS BACK!! THE WORLD'S GOING TO END!!"

At last, Nightcloud skidded to a stop next to Leafpool. Mothwing was nowhere to be seen.

"Where Mothwing?" asked Leafpool, panting.

"I have no clue, but she'll be fine."

"By the way, Nightcloud, what's Godzilla?"

"Dunno, I heard it from a rogue."

Leafpool stared. "A rogue?"

"Yeah. I was hunting by myself when I found this rogue stealing a rabbit. I crept up on him, and leaped out. He was so scared, he yelled 'AH, GODZILLA HAS RETURNED!!'. I was so startled, I just stood there. He ran away, but I thought that it was sort of cool, how you can scare someone just by saying the word 'Godzilla'. I tried it on a patrol once."

"Really? How did it go?"

"Awesome! I crept up on them, and yelled "ZOMG, GODZILLA!!". They all fell over. It was so funny! They didn't know it was me; I ran away as quick as I could."

Leafpool let out a purr of amusement. Old times. She wondered if everything would ever be the same again.

"Anyway, let's go before a patrol finds us sitting here," mewed Nightcloud.

"You could just yell 'Godzilla' at them and scare them," joked Leafpool, "But you're right, we should get going."

The she-cats made it to the border between RiverClan and ShadowClan before collapsing of exhaustion.

**Sorry about the crappy ending. I couldn't think of any way to end it without putting in more locations, and I'm too lazy to get a Warriors book to look at the map.**

* * *


	9. Chapter 9: Abandoned Twoleg Nest

"Hey…wake up."

_Did we get caught by Hawkstar's warriors?_ The thought appeared in Leafpool's mind.

She opened her eyes.

_A gray head? What in StarClan?_

Blinking to see more clearly, she realized she was staring at Willowpaw, Mothwing's missing apprentice.

"Ugh….." The voice didn't come from Leafpool. Nightcloud, who was laying next to her, pushed herself up.

"What happened?" asked Willowpaw.

"I remember escaping from Hawkstar, and then….I don't know…." Leafpool meowed in confusion.

"You're Willowpaw? Mothwing's missing apprentice?" Nightcloud narrowed her eyes at the small gray cat.

"Yes…how's Mothwing?"

"Fine, Hawkstar hasn't done anything to her," answered Leafpool.

"Yet," added Nightcloud pointedly.

Willowpaw's eyes darkened. "How's the Clan?"

"Hawkstar-Wait, you know about Hawkstar, right?" Nightcloud mewed.

"Yes, he's the one who banished me after I told him he was a stupid furball who had bees in his brain."

"How did you end up here?" asked Leafpool.

"I decided to go to ShadowClan's old territory, and…well, you see, there more cats living like this."

"What do you mean?"

"Some of the Clan cats that were exiled ended up here as well," explained the gray she-cat.

Leafpool's heart beat fast. "Have you seen…Crowfeather?"

"Crowfeather? No, why?" mewed Willowpaw.

"Nothing…"

"Well, where are the other cats?" asked Nightcloud.

"Yes, yes, this way."

Willowpaw led them deeper into ShadowClan territory. She seemed to know the way well, like she had led many cats there.

Suddenly, she stopped. Nightcloud and Leafpool looked over her shoulder to see a small black Thunderpath.

"A Thunderpath! I'm not crossing that!" Leafpool exclaimed without thinking. Nightcloud and Willowpaw looked at her.

Nightcloud rolled her eyes. "Trust a little medicine cat to be scared!"

"It's the way to the meeting place," added Willowpaw. "And, Nightcloud, I'm a medicine cat apprentice."

"Whatever."

"Well, Leafpool?" Willowpaw mewed.

"Yes, yes, okay."

Willowpaw switched her gaze back to the Thunderpath. She scented the air, then glanced both ways.

"Okay, it's safe to go. Now!"

The three of them sprinted across the Thunderpath. Now they were really in ShadowClan territory.

"This way," Willowpaw directed as she darted into the pines.

Leafpool glanced at Nightcloud and ran after the small gray cat. Willowpaw led them up a small Twoleg path.

The path ended. Leafpool looked up to see an abandoned Twoleg nest. _Was this it?_

Willowpaw didn't stop. She darted over the fence and into the nest.

Leafpool and Nightcloud shared a look. _Was this really safe? What if there were Twolegs?_

But Leafpool trusted Willowpaw, and she was determined to show Nightcloud she wasn't cowardly. She marched right up to the Twoleg nest and inside it.

Nightcloud didn't show that she was impressed or not. She walked in right after Leafpool and took the lead, following Willowpaw's scent trail.

Willowpaw had stopped to wait for them. Nightcloud stopped beside her and Leafpool followed.

"Is….is this it? Where are the others?" Leafpool stammered.

"Yep, this is it. As for the others, they might not be here. Out to hunt, you know," answered the gray she-cat.

"Well, if they're here, they'll be up there." Willowpaw pointed her tail up.

"On the roof?!"

"No, no, there's a upper level. Under the roof but above us," explained Willowpaw.

"Why Twolegs do that, I do wonder," murmured Nightcloud.

Willowpaw climbed up to the upper level. The other two followed her hesitantly.

"No one's here," meowed Nightcloud negatively.

Willowpaw didn't say anything. She took a few steps forward, then called out:

"Willowpaw here. I've got Leafpool and Nightcloud with me."

A voice came out of the gloom. "Password?"

"TigerClan is a pain in the tail."

There was silence. Then: "Correct."

A ginger tom trotted out of the darkness. Leafpool stared. _Was it…was it really her father?_

But, looking closer, Leafpool realized it was Brackenfur. She didn't know he had been exiled; he must have been after she had left.

Brackenfur nodded at them. "Greetings."

Nightcloud stared at him through narrowed eyes. Leafpool realized that they had not met yet.

"Um…" Leafpool coughed. Nightcloud and Brackenfur both turned to her. "Uh…Brackenfur, this is Nightcloud. Nightcloud, Brackenfur."

An awkward silence followed.

"Where are the others?" Willowpaw asked, breaking the silence.

"Brook and Sandstorm are hunting, and so is Cloudtail. Stormfur's on the bottom level, sleeping. Rowanclaw and Mistyfoot are out on patrol," Brackenfur reported.

"Mistyfoot? Isn't she dead?" asked Nightcloud.

"No, no. She escaped from Hawkstar at the last heartbeat. Rumor is that she was killed. Hawkstar's too ashamed to tell cats Mistyfoot escaped." Brackenfur chuckled.

"Why's Rowanclaw exiled?" asked Nightcloud.

"Oh, that? Because he's Tawnypelt's mate. Hawkstar reckons that he likes kittypets."

"There will be time for explaining later," meowed Stormfur, slipping out of the darkness. "For the meanwhile, you must be tired."

"And hungry," Willowpaw added.

"Yes, and that too. Come, I'll show you around."

Stormfur led them to the bottom level. He suddenly stopped.

"This is where we sleep," he directed, pointing to a large crack in the wall. "It gets bigger when you go in."

He snuck in quietly, vanishing into the eerie silence of the nest. Nightcloud was next to go in. She vanished instantly, her black pelt blending with the darkness in the crack.

Leafpool stared into the crack. It seemed so dark, and so like a trap. What if it was?

"Hurry up! We haven't got all day!" Nightcloud's meow came from the crack.

Taking a deep breath, Leafpool pushed her way in. She could feel solid walls on both her flanks. She pushed through blindly in the darkness.

_How long was this?_ She had been walking for a while. Then, realizing with a start, she couldn't feel anything.

A light shone brightly ahead. Quickening her pace, Leafpool dived into the light.

"Took you long enough," grumbled Nightcloud.

Leafpool glared at her. Stormfur stepped between them.

"Look over there." The gray tom jutted his chin toward the other way.

Leafpool and Nightcloud glanced at where he was pointing. There were moss nests lining the wall. No cat was in them except a lump of ginger fur.

Leafpool breathed in the warm scent of her mother. Sandstorm shifted in her nest, mumbling something inaudible. The ginger she-cat opened her eyes and pushed herself up. Spotting Leafpool, she dashed to Leafpool's side and covered her with licks.

"Oh, Leafpool! I wondered if I would ever see you again!"

"Mother….."

Leafpool caught sight of Nightcloud, trying to hide a snigger. Pulling herself out of her mother's enbrace, a growl rose out of her throat.

Sandstorm sat up, realizing that something was wrong. She caught sight of Nightcloud and stalked over.

"Aren't you that WindClan warrior? Nightcloud, was it?"

"That's right," Nightcloud answered coldly.

"Well, stay away from my daughter," Sandstorm replied, equally coldly.

Nightcloud didn't look scared. Actually, she looked triumphant. As Sandstorm slipped into the crack, she sent Leafpool a jeering mew.

"Mama's girl!" she giggled.

"It's not funny!" Leafpool meowed indignantly.

"Well, I suppose you'll want to sleep now," Stormfur meowed mildly.

"Yeah, sure," Nightcloud mewed, still giggling.

"Chose whatever nest you want. But don't sleep in that one, it belongs to the rogue who lives here."

"Rogue?" Leafpool repeated, pricking her ears. "There's a rogue here?"

"Yep. He was kind enough to let us stay here."

"Why don't you chase him out?" suggested Nightcloud.

"This is his home," Stormfur stated.

"And this also used to be ShadowClan territory," the black she-cat retorted.

"Used to," Stormfur pointed out.

"Fine, TigerClan's."

Stormfur shrugged. "It's not for you to decide."

"Why not?" the WindClan cat snapped.

"You're new here."

"So? It's not like you're the boss of me. Who's the leader around here?"

"The rogue."

"WHAT? You're taking orders from a ROGUE?"

"Yes, and you will too."

"Fat chance."

"Just sleep," Stormfur growled, leaving the argument.

"This isn't over," Nightcloud grumbled, settling in a nest.

Stormfur shifted his glance to Leafpool. "Well, what about you?"

"What?"

"Sleep?" he pressed.

Leafpool found herself a moss nest and settled in. Curling into a ball, sleep washed over her.


	10. Chapter 10: Doubt

Nightcloud struggled though the snow. Her green eyes focused on a familiar dark gray lump.

_Crowfeather! _Nightcloud opened her mouth to call to her mate, but a tabby cat made it next to him first. _Leafpool!_

Leafpool purred to him, and he purred back. Nightcloud watched in horror as they started sharing tongues.

* * *

Nightcloud's eyes blinked open in a flash. Her eyes focused on the walls of the Twoleg nest. Beside her, a brown tabby slept peacefully.

Nightcloud snorted quietly and crept out the Twoleg den. She ended up in another Twoleg den, this one larger than the last. Somehow, after a lot of empty Twoleg dens, she made it outside the nest.

Stopping to consider, she wondered what she should do. Regularly, she would have gone out hunting, but the nightmare had gotten her thinking. Nightcloud didn't think she could catch anything even if it sat on her claws.

_So what if Crowfeather likes Leafpool? I never actually wanted to be his mate. It was just the right thing to do. _Still, Nightcloud wasn't so sure. As the moons passed by, she had come to love the dark gray tom. She couldn't bear to lose him, especially when she might have her kits soon.

Nightcloud caught sight of a dark gray cat. For a heartbeat she stared at him, before she realized it was only Stormfur, who trotted over to her.

"Oh, you're awake? Maybe you'll want to meet the rogue that's our leader."

Nightcloud blinked. "Okay."

Stormfur led her to a tall rock. They jumped on it, then onto the roof. There, in the shadow of a tall thing jutting out of the roof, stood a black and white tom. Nightcloud was somehow reminded of the former WindClan leader, Tallstar. With a pang of homesickness, she walked up to the tom.

Stormfur stepped between them. "Nightcloud, this is Barley. Barley, Nightcloud."

Barley nodded to her, then addressed the former RiverClan warrior. "Any newcomers, beside Nightcloud here?"

"Yes, yes. A brown tabby, amber eyes. Came here with Nightcloud. Leafpool's the name."

"No sight of any others, eh?"

"No, Barley."

Nightcloud ignored them, and jumped down the roof. She landed hard, right in front of Leafpool, who had finally woken up.

"Nightcloud!" Leafpool gasped as she jumped back in alarm.

"Stormfur's up there." Nightcloud pointed her tail at the roof. "Talking with this 'leader' rogue."

Leafpool's eyes grew wide. "Who is it?"

"Some black and white tom called Barley. I'm going hunting."

Nightcloud felt a prickle at the lie. She left as quick as she could, racing down to the lake.

Nightcloud scented the air. She hadn't meant to hunt, but her belly growled with hunger. _Maybe I'll catch enough to bring some back._

She found a mouse nibbling on a seed. Being a WindClan cat, she raced forward to catch the mouse. She was faster than it.

Nightcloud tripped on a tree root and fell, luckily, on top of the mouse.

Getting up, she hissed in frustration. "How do cats live in this…this trapped area?"

Swallowing the mouse, Nightcloud set off once more. She soon arrived at the side of the lake. She found a warm spot and lay down.

Staring across the vast stretch of water, Nightcloud let her thoughts wander. She missed WindClan, the moors, everything that meant anything to her. She wasn't even a warrior anymore.

Nightcloud sighed and lay down, gazing at the clear blue water. She watched the water ripple and send fish jumped across small waves.

"Nightcloud?"

Nightcloud didn't look up. "Yes?"

"Oh, you got exiled, too?"

Nightcloud tore her eyes from the water and found herself looking into deep blue eyes. Dark gray fur surrounded them. A familiar scent snaked around her.


	11. Chapter 11: Lies

**Okay, okay, I had to redo the chapter. You guys are soo mean! Okay, I removed the random parts about the Vishnu virus and all that stuff. *snort* Hope you're happy now.**

* * *

Nightcloud stood, her jaw hanging open with shock. In front of her was her old Clanmate and mate, Crowfeather.

He looked at her strangely. Nightcloud couldn't blame him. She probably looked freaked out.

"Anyway, what are you doing out here?" Crowfeather asked.

"Uh…well, um, uh…."

Crowfeather quickly changed the subject, seeing that he wasn't going to get an answer. "Have you seen any other cats?"

Nightcloud's heart suddenly beat fast. She couldn't answer. She knew she should tell the truth, but now that he was here, she didn't want Leafpool to know about him. Nightcloud knew now that they weren't a part of the Clans, they could mate. Technically, she was his mate, but Squirrelflight _did _break up with Ashfur..

But now Leafpool was almost Nightcloud's friend. They had traveled together since they had found each other after the exile. Surely she would know how much the gray tom meant to Nightcloud.

However, Nightcloud found she couldn't trust Leafpool. They weren't completely enemies, but they weren't exactly friends. Crowfeather would definitely choose Leafpool over her.

A silent battle raged in her mind. _Tell the truth. Lie. Have him all to yourself. Give him up to Leafpool. _

_Leafpool wants him. He wants her. Let them have each other. Let them be happy. But you'll be miserable. Then lie. Tell him that you haven't seen anyone._

"No," she whispered.

Crowfeather caught the response. "Oh, too bad. By the way, I heard Leafpool got exiled, too. Do you think she's okay?"

Nightcloud's pelt stung at the name. There it was again. Leafpool, Leafpool, Leafpool. She was nice, kind, everyone's favorite. And where was Nightcloud? Jealous, spiteful, but with a reason no one seemed to understand. Leafpool was a constant obstacle, always threatening to fall in between Nightcloud and Crowfeather. Nightcloud felt a surge of hate. All her good intentions toward Leafpool vanished, leaving only her anger.

Swallowing her jealousy, she choked out a reply. "I'm sure she is."

Crowfeather seemed oblivious to her maddening rage. "You know, now that there are no Clans, maybe Leafpool and I could…well…"

The world spun. Nightcloud could feel her heart pounding hard. Her eyesight blurred. She rocked from side to side, finally falling on the ground.

Crowfeather watched her anxiously. He hurried to her side. What did he do wrong?

By then, Nightcloud had fainted, mumbling, "No….not her….not Leafpool…"

Crowfeather looked at her, shocked. He hadn't thought she cared about him. They had mated only because it had been good for them both. He didn't know that he meant that much to him. He bent down his head.

"Nightcloud! Nightcloud! Can you hear me? Nightcloud!"

Nightcloud snapped back to consciousness, but she kept her eyes closed. His voice sounded so worried. Served him right for making her sick with jealousy.

She jumped up, making him leap back in surprise. "Nightcloud!"

"I didn't think you would actually worry so much!" she spat. "After all, what am I compared to your happy ending with dear Leafpool? Now you can go to her since there are no Clans! Isn't that great?"

"Nightcloud, calm down. I didn't think…didn't think…"

"WELL???"

Puffed up to twice her size, Nightcloud looked more like a fox than a cat. Crowfeather swallowed.

"That…that you would actually care so much."

"Well, of course I would care! Hello, I'm your mate! But I guess you don't care anymore. It doesn't matter to me." Nightcloud choked back a sob. "I'll see you around then!"

"Wait, Nightcloud!" Crowfeather leaped on her, pinning her down before she could leave.

"What do you want?" she snapped, her voice cracking.

"Look, Nightcloud, I _do _care. I'm sorry if I upset you about Leafpool." Nightcloud twitched, but Crowfeather continued steadily. "I wasn't…thinking. When we became mates, I thought it was just for the good of both of us. I didn't think that you actually _felt _anything toward me. You were just…so cool, so emotionless."

"You never noticed anything," Nightcloud choked. "I…I didn't start like this. I _didn't_ care for you, but then…." Nightcloud swallowed. "..then I grew to actually feel toward y-you…"

Crowfeather leaned down toward Nightcloud. His sweet scent tickled her nose. He groomed her with his tongue.

"I'll stay with you…I'll stay with you forever…" Crowfeather murmured. "Do you know anywhere I, I mean, we can stay?"

"Yes."

Nightcloud got to her paws. Okay, fine, she didn't know anywhere. But they were WindClan; they slept outside under the sky. She found a nice opening in the rock where the rock didn't quite open up into a cavern, where they would have free access to the lake and the sky. She led him to it.

"Here."

"Thank you." Crowfeather licked his mate's ears.

They lay down under the rock. An owl hooted in the dark night. Nightcloud wondered what Leafpool would think if she didn't come back that night. Would she care? Nightcloud would have to come back in the morning.

"Nightcloud, are you sure you don't know anything about Leafp- other cats?" Crowfeather whispered.

"No." She hissed out the lie.

Nightcloud closed her eyes, feeling warmed by Crowfeather's body. She purred softly. All this could be lost if Leafpool found out about him. Nightcloud would need all the energy she had. Just tomorrow morning would be clouded with lies. She would need a clear mind and a witty tongue. But as long as Nightcloud had Crowfeather beside her, she was willing to do anything. Even live a life of lies.

* * *

**K, I'll leave the rest til the next chapter.**

**Will Nightcloud find happiness in a world of lies? Will Leafpool get together with Crowfeather?**

**No more humor in this story, then......since you guys don't like it. Well, okay, cat humor.**

_~Wolfstar_


	12. Chapter 12: Two Places

Leafpool opened her eyes and rose to her paws. Nightcloud hadn't returned yet. She padded out of the Twoleg nest and scented the air. Sure enough, Nightcloud's scent hung in the air. It was stale; Nightcloud hadn't been here since the day before. Why had she gone hunting so long?

Leafpool followed her scent to the abandoned ShadowClan camp. The ShadowClan and WindClan cats that hadn't been driven out were in the RiverClan or ThunderClan camp.

Nightcloud appeared from one of the dens, her fur messy and unkempt. Leafpool narrowed her eyes. Nightcloud may be bad-tempered, but she usually took care of her own fur!

"Where have you been?" asked Leafpool.

"None of your business," snapped an indignant Nightcloud. "Hunting."

"This long?" Leafpool challenged.

"I fell asleep here."

Leafpool sniffed the air. Nightcloud's scent led out of the camp. "Really? Then why is your scent out of camp?"

"I went hunting this morning."

"And forgot to groom yourself?" joked Leafpool.

Nightcloud snarled. "Why do you care?"

Leafpool tilted her head to the side. Why did she care?

Nightcloud let out a low growl of exasperation. She spun around and stalked off into the forest. Leafpool watched her leave and then made her way in the opposite direction.

"Fine, if that's how you want it," she muttered under her breath.

Leafpool didn't know what to do. Normally, she would have looked for herbs, but there weren't any sick cats. She could hunt, but she wasn't hungry. So she returned to the Twoleg nest in search of Brackenfur, or at least someone she could talk to.

Stormfur met her at the entrance. He looked grim. "Squirrelflight had been injured, so we've heard."

"What?" Leafpool gasped. "How?"

"Ravenpaw was hunting along the ThunderClan border and he saw Squirrelflight on the ground, blood seeping out of her," he reported.

"Who did it?" she questioned, her eyes angry. Squirrelflight might not have seen the evil in Bramblestar, but she didn't deserve to die, or be attacked! She didn't care if the other cats didn't like it. Leafpool would take revenge on whoever did this to her!

Stormfur looked down, deliberating. Finally he looked back to her. "We're not certain; the attacker was an expert. He must have planned this. There was no evidence, no clear scent, no fur in Squirrelflight's claws. He must have taken her by surprise, or she would have fought back. The scent was of ferns, we think the attacker rolled in them before he attacked her."

"He?" repeated Leafpool.

"Or she," responded Stormfur. "Come on, Leafpool, lots of cats hate Squirrelflight now. She let us be driven out, for StarClan's sake! Didn't even stand up for us."

"That's Bramblestar's fault!" she shot back. "He drove us out, not Squirrelflight."

"And what did Squirrelflight do?"

Leafpool didn't respond. He had pinned her down. She remembered that memory well. Squirrelflight had just stood there, glaring at each of the cats that had been driven out.

Leafpool turned and ran into the forest. She would find out who had injured her sister. And she would have revenge!

She remembered what Stormfur had told her. Along the ThunderClan border. Leafpool ran the whole way, in a hurry to avenge her sister.

She skidded to a halt. She saw the blood on the ground and scented her sister's warm scent. Leafpool walked to it.

Leafpool scented the air. Stormfur was right, there was no attacker's scent, besides that cat scent. But they already knew it was a cat. Squirrelflight's body had been taken away, Leafpool guessed, by some Thunder-no, TigerClan cat. She could be still alive. Hopefully.

Leafpool walked forward slowly, sniffing as she did. A new scent touched her nose. Her eyes snapped open with alarm. She had run straight into a large brown tabby.

"Bramblestar!" she gasped.

"So it's the traitor," he snarled softly, looking down at her. "That's the last mistake you'll make, crossing our border."

He licked his lips. "How perfect, for you to walk straight into me instead of me looking for you. And where would your little pals be? The ones that escaped?"

Leafpool's heart sank. She had been so occupied with investigating that she hadn't noticed the brown tabby. He would kill her, and TigerClan would laugh at her body.

Leafpool backed away slowly. Bramblestar looked at her in amusement, slowly following her. "Think you can escape from me this time?" he purred.

Leafpool stopped, feeling his breath on her face. This was the end.

Bramblestar smiled. He sent a paw in her direction, knocking her down. He was strong, she'd give him that. But Leafpool wasn't prepared to die without a fight. As he pinned her down, she battered at his belly. This hardly seemed to affect him, but Leafpool didn't let that discourage her. She kicked out with her hind legs, despite the pain in her shoulder.

Bramblestar sent another paw, this time in her face. Leafpool felt a cut right below her eye, the blood running down her face.

Bramblestar reared up and this time cutting through her belly. She felt the blood darken her fur, dying it red.

Leafpool felt her energy leave her. She couldn't go much longer. She pushed herself up and flung herself at him.

He wasn't expecting that, that was for sure. She landed on him and clawed at his shoulder. She felt the skin break and a sting of satisfaction.

Bramblestar was a warrior, and Leafpool was just a medicine cat. He snarled and pushed her off him. His claws sank into her shoulders.

Leafpool yowled, though she knew it was hopeless. No one would get to her in time.

Bramblestar pushed her down and pinned her again. He raised one claw. Leafpool closed her eyes.

"Your death," he whispered in her ear. Leafpool heard the air swish as the claw struck down.

Suddenly, his weight disappeared. Leafpool opened her eyes to see a dark shadow struggling on Bramblestar.

"Nightcloud," she hissed softly.

Nightcloud was a raging tiger. She slashed at the huge brown tabby mercilessly. He yowled angrily and backed away from her fierce blows.

Nightcloud stopped and Brambleclaw stood still. "Honor me, Bramblestar, leader of TigerClan," he ordered.

"I'll honor you when StarClan freezes over," the black she-cat retorted. "Brambleclaw, traitor of ThunderClan."

"My name is Bramblestar!" he spat. "ThunderClan is no more. Only TigerClan."

Nightcloud growled and slashed at him. "Just go."

He did. Right back into the trees.

Nightcloud turned to her. She still looked hostile and a haunted look occupied her eyes. But she nudged Leafpool up. "Let's go. Bramblestar will be getting his warriors out of camp."

Nightcloud let Leafpool lean on her shoulder. Together, they returned to the nest.

"Great StarClan, what happened?" gasped Brackenfur, who was back from hunting.

"Bramblestar attack," muttered Nightcloud.

Nightcloud walked the brown she-cat to the place of sleep. She let Leafpool rest there. "I'll find Willowpaw," she promised.

Nightcloud set out in search of the gray apprentice. Willowpaw was collecting juniper berries right outside the Twoleg nest.

"Leafpool's been hurt," she reported. "You'd better go to her."

Willowpaw gasped. "Right!"

As Willowpaw darted back to the Twoleg nest, Nightcloud realized Crowfeather must be awake by now. Struck with alarm, she ran back to the shore.

Mouse scent ticked her nose. Two mice. Nightcloud crouched and crept forward. With a pounce, the two mice were safely in her jaws, dead.

Crowfeather _was_ awake. He yawned. "Where have you been?"

"Hunting," she murmured. Nightcloud hoped Leafpool's scent wasn't still on her.

If it was, Crowfeather didn't notice. He started running his tongue through her still not groomed fur.

"Here, I caught some prey," she meowed, pushing the mice forward.

"Perfect," he mewed.

Nightcloud bit into one of the mice, letting the favor seep through her tongue before she swallowed. She finished it in two more bites.

"StarClan, you're hungry!" exclaimed Crowfeather.

"I've been up all morning," Nightcloud reminded him. _Oh, why did he have to be so dense?_

Nightcloud pressed herself against him. Crowfeather gently licked the top of her head. _I wish it could always be like this. No Leafpool, no threat. _

Nightcloud let herself be groomed. The sun shone bright in the sky, warming both cats' pelts.

Nightcloud straightened up. She purred quietly.

"Still tired?" asked Crowfeather, a slight smile on his lips.

Nightcloud nodded, her jaws stretching in a huge yawn. Crowfeather lay down beside her and she settled down.

Nightcloud closed her eyes. It was almost a blessing, Leafpool being hurt like that. Then she couldn't interfere much anymore. But Nightcloud felt a sting of guild, that she was deceiving both Crowfeather and Leafpool. It couldn't be helped.


	13. Chapter 13: The Prophecy

**I'm not dead! And I'm continuing this story. It's not going to end yet! Review, please!**

Leafpool was dreaming. She looked around her, the dark sky, the territory of StarClan that she hadn't seen in so long.

She could see the StarClan warriors, hunting and sleeping like nothing was out of the ordinary. Leafpool felt a surge of anger.

"You're just eating and sleeping?" she yowled. "After what the Clans are going through?"

No cat looked at her. Were they blind, or were they deaf? She ran to the first cat she saw.

"HEY, YOU!!!!" she yowled in her ear.

The cat turned. Leafpool blinked. She recognized the beautiful tortoiseshell fur and gleaming eyes.

Spottedleaf wasn't how Leafpool had last seen her. Spottedleaf had been as confident and holy as she normally was. She had told Leafpool to do what she had to. Now Spottedleaf looked tired. Her eyes were bloodshot, like she hadn't slept for several nights. But that thought was stupid. StarClan cats were almighty, ruling over the Clans.

"Spottedleaf!" Leafpool gasped. "Why…why has StarClan done nothing to help us? Can't you see us?"

"StarClan is losing hope," Spottedleaf meowed wearily. "We must confide in the Clans to do what they can."

"And you're not going to help us?" Leafpool asked. She couldn't believe that her guardian was saying this.

"There is nothing we can do," Spottedleaf mewed simply. "All is in the paws of the Clans. And you…you can help them."

"How?"

"Patience…seek the help of the unloved."

"The unloved?" Leafpool frowned, tilting her head to its side in frustration.

"Those whose lives are unfortunate…those who are without hope…they will save the Clans."

"Without hope? Hopeless? Who would that be?"

"You know the answer." A gleam of wisdom crept its way into Spottedleaf's tired eyes. "Find it among yourself."

"How am I supposed to do that?" Leafpool challenged her.

"I…I cannot tell you that," Spottedleaf stammered. "But find the answer in yourself. Do not be afraid to challenge your sister. You have challenged me, challenge you sister now."

"Y-yes."

The dream was fading away. Leafpool awoke in her moss nest in the Twoleg nest. Sandstorm was standing over her.

"Oh! Oh, my poor kit!" She covered Leafpool with licks. "You could have been killed! Don't ever do that again!"

"I won't, Sandstorm," Leafpool replied, a little annoyed after the meaningless dream.

Leafpool got up, wincing from the scars from last night's fight. She had to find out what the dream meant. 'The Unloved'. Who would that be? Everyone in the Clans had been loved by their Clanmates. Hadn't they?

Leafpool bumped into Willowpaw in her concentration on finding out 'the unloved'. The gray she-cat looked at her.

"Something wrong, Leafpool?"

"Huh?" Leafpool looked down at the gray tabby.

"Something wrong?" Willowpaw repeated.

"Oh! That's well…uh…" Leafpool stuttered. "I…ah…have you had any dreams from StarClan lately? I mean, you used to be a medicine cat apprentice."

"Yes, but I haven't received any signs. Did you get a dream?" Willowpaw looked hopeful.

Leafpool explained her dream. "StarClan looked completely without hope. They meowed that we have to take care of our own problems."

"That doesn't sound like StarClan at all!" Willowpaw exclaimed.

Leafpool nodded grimly. "But it is."

"Spottedleaf told you 'the unloved'?"

"Yes."

"Maybe that's one of the kittypets and rogues ThunderClan took in. ThunderClan takes care of them but the other Clans hate them. No offense," Willowpaw added quickly.

"None taken. That's a possibility, though. I saw Daisy at the barn not long ago. There's a good chance that she's still there."

"You should go ask her to come, then!"

"She's scared, though. You know how she is. Paranoid over everything. I doubt she'd listen."

"Oh! The unloved could also be a rogue! Like Smoky!" Willowpaw suggested.

"The more reason to go to the barn!"

"I don't think you should go. You're still recovering from yesterday," Willowpaw mewed uncertainly.

"I have to go!" Leafpool rounded on the smaller cat angrily. "I'm the one who got the dream! Daisy would listen to me if she would listen to any cat!"

"Yes, still…" Willowpaw trailed off. "At least you should take a warrior with you. You have to cross ThunderClan or RiverClan territory to get to the barn."

"Fine." Leafpool padded to the roof, where Barley usually lay.

Barley was there, just as she predicted. Leafpool approached him and appealed to him with her request, explaining the dream and the prophecy.

Barley nodded. "I think we'll be able to arrange that. You should set out at sundown; that way there won't be as many TigerClan cats lurking about.

"We'll expect you to come back in a few days. It would be best if you didn't stay that long. We need immediate results."

"Of course," Leafpool meowed instantly.

"Just in case none of the barn cats is the one in the prophecy, we will keep an eye out for an unloved cat," Barley offered.

"Thanks. The prophecy never told us that it was a cat. It could be a badger or fox. Those are unloved by any sane cat."

"True…" Barley frowned. "But this is the best we can do at the moment, assuming that the unloved is a cat. And a cat that we know, on that."

Leafpool nodded. "Tell whoever is accompanying me that I will be outside the Twoleg nest as soon as the sun's rays start to dim. I want to get there as fast as we can."

"All right."

* * *

**I apologize for the lame prophecy. But I wasn't all that inspired. Feel free to give me some ideas. **

**Barley is turning out more responsible and bossy that I first planned. Oh, well.**

**Wolfstar**

* * *


	14. Chapter 14: Spy's Mission

**Next time I upload, it'll be a list of the cats who are and are not exiled. **

**Anyway...I may not upload for a while, since I recently got obsessed with Shugo Chara. I might even write something on it.**

* * *

Leafpool closed her eyes, feeling the cool evening air sweeping against her fur. Barley approached behind her with Stormfur.

"Oh, hi." Leafpool turned to face them.

Stormfur nodded in response. "I'll be coming with you to the barn."

"You two better get going," advised Barley. "You want to get to the barn by morning, hopefully. Also, if you see another Clan cat, and I mean a real Clan cat, not those idiotic so-called TigerClan-"

"Yes, we'll bring them here," Stormfur cut in. "Let's go, Leafpool."

"Good luck!" called Barley.

Leafpool tried to smile, but it looked like a grimace. Stormfur flicked his tail, meowing nothing, and started off.

Leafpool ran to keep up with him. "Hey, slow down!"

"You do want to get there by morning, don't you?" Stormfur objected. "We're never going to get there if we travel this slowly."

Leafpool opened her mouth but quickly shut it. "Fine," she muttered.

"Speaking of," Stormfur began. "How do we know which cat is the unloved? I mean, even if that cat is, how will we know that?"

"Good point," Leafpool meowed frowning. "I don't know. Maybe StarClan will send a sign."

Stormfur didn't look convinced, though he didn't meow any more on the subject.

* * *

Nightcloud yawned and got up from beside her mate. She was careful not to wake him, though it wasn't really necessary; he could sleep through anything.

Nightcloud gently gave Crowfeather a lick around the ears, then stalked off into the trees. She better think of a good excuse this time. Leafpool hadn't looked like she had bought the hunting story. And it wasn't going to work two days, or nights, in a row.

Nightcloud silently prayed to StarClan. _Oh, come on, let the words come to my mouth. Please, oh, please, StarClan. _

She caught herself a sparrow, which she ate in two bites, swallowing quickly.

Nightcloud sped up. She got to the Twoleg nest instantly. She hoped that Leafpool wasn't there.

Nightcloud walked inside. She checked all the dens, but Leafpool wasn't there. Maybe she was outside. Nightcloud's heart leapt. Then she might find Crowfeather.

Nightcloud decided to be sure. She found Barley and asked him.

"Top secret mission," Barley meowed mysteriously. "Message from StarClan."

Nightcloud gasped. "What did StarClan say?"

"Not supposed to tell you," Barley answered, much to Nightcloud's annoyance.

* * *

Leafpool flinched as they reached the Thunderpath. It was as noisy as usual, with Twolegs doing who-knows-what. This part of life hadn't changed.

Stormfur looked both ways and then at Leafpool. "All clear."

They raced across the Thunderpath without being seen. That is, until the last moment. A small Twoleg saw them and bared its fangs. It howled loudly pointing a paw at them.

Leafpool nearly leapt out of her fur as a grown Twoleg ran toward them.

"Run!" Stormfur hissed urgently.

The two of them dashed away from the Twoleg's threatening paws. The trees were not as thick in this part of the land, and it provided little shelter.

They skidded to a stop in front of a small stream. Leafpool panted, out of breath.

"Let's hope that TigerClan didn't hear that. That Twoleg was so loud! Doesn't it know that it will scare away the prey?" Stormfur scoffed.

"One, they probably don't care. Two, that was a kit. Our kits aren't really much better," Leafpool reminded him.

"Yes, but at least we have the sense to keep them in our camps!"

Leafpool didn't argue. She looked across the stream. "We're nearing the TigerClan camp. We should be careful."

"I'm not planning to march through the camp, are you?" Stormfur asked. "We're not going this way."

"Then what way?" Leafpool snapped.

"Upstream. This stream flows into a larger river. It's much harder to cross and louder, which will block our voices. But this way we'll be farther from the camp. After we cross, we'll go on to the marshes, where the water comes up to our paws. The weeds will disguise our scent. After we cross the marshes, we'll be at the barn." Stormfur had already planned ahead of time. Leafpool had to admit it sounded realistic.

"Okay."

Stormfur nodded grimly. The gray tom led the way to the river, which wasn't far away. The moon was rising with a steady pace.

The river was loud, as Stormfur had meowed.

"How are we going to cross this?" Leafpool yowled over the river.

"How are you," Stormfur corrected. "I'm RiverClan."

"How am I?"

"I'll cross first," Stormfur volunteered. "That way, if you fall, I can drag you out."

Leafpool snorted. Stormfur walked up to the river and jumped right in. The current was strong, but Stormfur paddled across with swift, strong strokes. He dragged himself out, shaking the water out of his fur.

Leafpool stared into the river. Last time, Nightcloud had fallen in. That hadn't been the best experience. But she jumped in, holding her breath. Her head went under and water came into her mouth and nose.

Leafpool pulled her head up and pushed herself forward. The current was strong, and it pulled her down. She dimly felt Stormfur's teeth close on her scruff and yank her out.

Leafpool coughed and shook the water out of her fur.

"Let's go," Stormfur mewed impatiently. "We want to get to the marshes by moonhigh."

Leafpool followed him as he fell into a run. The marshes weren't far now.

"I wonder what Bramblestar has to say."

"Maybe he caught some of those exiled cats."

Leafpool almost crashed into Stormfur, who was straining his ears to hear the voices.

"TigerClan," he warned.

"I know that," Leafpool hissed back.

Stormfur pointed her nose behind them. "They're coming. Let's go."

He started off again, faster this time, making it harder for Leafpool to catch up.

Soon they were safely hidden in the marshes. Leafpool didn't like wet paws, but it was better than being caught.

"Gathering," whispered Stormfur, sticking his head out of the weeds.

Leafpool pushed her head out to. He was right; cats were climbing on the log to cross to the island. "Who cares?" She started toward the barn.

"Wait." Stormfur's tail snaked around hers, drawing her back. "We're going on the island."

"Why?"

"Barley told us to take other Clan cats to the Twoleg nest. This is a great way to find out the names of the other Clan cats. Maybe we'll even find out where they are."

"We'll get caught!"

But Stormfur wasn't listening. He ran toward the log as the last cat jumped onto the island and disappeared in the trees. Leafpool had no choice but to follow.

Stormfur leapt onto the island without a sound. He waited for Leafpool before running into the trees.

"Here," he murmured. "They're starting."

Leafpool hid in the bush next to him, feeling much like a spy. In a way, she was one.

They could clearly see Bramblestar and Hawkstar, high on the tree above the other cats.

"We have caught sight of Leafpool and Nightcloud on the ThunderClan border with ShadowClan. They escaped, however," Bramblestar was meowing.

"Really?" yawned Hawkstar. "We, on the other paw, have reason to believe Daisy and her kits have returned to the barn. We prepare to attack tomorrow night."

Bramblestar nodded.

The rest of the Gathering had to do with prey and Twolegs. Leafpool caught Bramblestar meowing that Morningflower had been found dead. She let a wave of sorrow wash over her.

Tawnypelt had been seen on RiverClan territory. She wasn't dead yet, but the TigerClan warriors were tracking her location. Cloudtail had been on ThunderClan territory. He hadn't been seen, but it seemed as if Thornclaw had caught his scent. Brackenfur, who had been exiled as well, was supposedly with Ashfur; Squirrelflight had caught them together, though they escaped with a few scratches.

Stormfur touched her back with his tail silently. He pointed to the marshes. Leafpool nodded and together they made their way back to the shelter of the weeds.


	15. Allegiances

**So...here's the allegiances...hope I didn't forget anyone. Remind me if you see anyone missing here.**

**Also, the reason there aren't any elders in TigerClan is because Bramblestar and Hawkstar think they're a waste of space and food. It's true, all they do is complain. Most of them are dead since they're too old to run. But Mousefur's pretty tough, so she's okay. **

**Darn, I need to start on the next chapter now. Oh, yeah, some of the cats in TigerClan aren't bad, they're spies for the other cats. I'm not going to say who._

* * *

_**

_**Allegiances**_

_**TigerClan**_** (BrambleClan):**

**Leader:** Bramblestar-brown tabby tom with amber eyes, formerly ThunderClan

**Deputy: **Tornear-formerly WindClan

**Medicine Cat: **Barkface-brown tom

**Warriors:**

Thornclaw-brown tom, formerly ThunderClan

Rainwhisker-dark gray tom with blue eyes, formerly ThunderClan

Dustepelt-brown tabby tom, formerly ThunderClan

Webfoot-formerly WindClan

Squirrelflight-ginger she-cat with green eyes, Bramblestar's mate, formerly ThunderClan

Spiderleg-black tom, formerly ThunderClan

_Apprentice, Birchpaw_

Whitetail-white she-cat, formerly WindClan

Ashfoot-gray she-cat, formerly the WindClan deputy

**Queens:**

Ferncloud-pale gray she-cat with green eyes, formerly ThunderClan

Sorreltail-tortoiseshell and white she-cat with amber eyes

_**TigerClan **_**(HawkClan):**

**Leader:** Hawkstar-brown tabby tom with blue eyes, formerly RiverClan

**Deputy: **Blackclaw-formerly RiverClan

_Apprentice, Beechpaw_

**Medicine Cat: **Mothwing-dappled golden she-cat, does not believe in StarClan, formerly RiverClan

**Warriors:**

Blackfoot-white tom with black paws, formerly ShadowClan

Cedarfoot-formerly ShadowClan

Voletooth-brown tom, formerly RiverClan

Russetfur-formerly ShadowClan

Stonestream-gray tom

Cedarheart-dark gray tom

Oakfur-small brown tom

_Apprentice, Smokepaw_

**Queens:**

Mosspelt-tortoiseshell she-cat with blue eyes, formerly RiverClan

Dawnflower-pale gray she-cat, formerly RiverClan

Tallpoppy-light brown tabby she-cat, formerly ShadowClan

_**Exiled**_**(Twoleg Nest)**_**:**_

Nightcloud-black she-cat, formerly WindClan

Leafpool-brown tabby she-cat with amber eyes, formerly the ThunderClan medicine cat

Stormfur-dark gray tom, formerly from RiverClan/ThunderClan/Tribe

Brook-brown she-cat, formerly from the Tribe

Sandstorm-ginger she-cat, Leafpool and Squirrelflight's mother, formerly ThunderClan

Rowanclaw-formerly ShadowClan

Brackenfur-golden tom, formerly ThunderClan

Willowpaw-gray she-cat, formerly RiverClan

_**Exiled**_**(Barn): **

Daisy-cream-furred she-cat, mother of Hazel, Mouse, and Berry, formerly ThunderClan

Hazelkit(Hazel)

Mousekit(Mouse)

Berrykit(Berry)-cream colored tom kit

_**Exiled**_**(Wandering):**

Crowfeather-dark gray tom, formerly WindClan

Tawnypelt-tortoiseshell she-cat, formerly ShadowClan

Ashfur-gray tom with darker flecks, formerly ThunderClan

Whitewing-white she-cat , formerly ThunderClan

Cloudtail-white tom with blue eyes, formerly ThunderClan

Mousefur- small dusky brown elder she-cat, formerly ThunderClan

Mistyfoot-gray she-cat with blue eyes, formerly RiverClan

_**Dead:**_

Morningflower-formerly WindClan

Onestar-brown tom, formerly WindClan

Ashfoot-gray she-cat, Crowfeather's mother, formerly WindClan

Goldenflower-pale ginger she-cat, formerly ThunderClan

Leopardstar-spotted golden tabby she-cat, formerly RiverClan leader

Firestar-ginger tom, formerly ThunderClan leader

Onestar-brown tabby tom, formerly WindClan leader

Boulder-skinny gray tom, formerly ShadowClan elder

Heavystep-tabby tom, formerly RiverClan elder

Rushtail-light brown tom, formerly WindClan elder

_**Others:**_

Barley-black and white loner tom, leader of the Twoleg nest

Ravenpaw-black tom, formerly ThunderClan, Barley's partner

Smoky-gray tom, Daisy's mate, lives at barn

Floss-Daisy and Smoky's friend, lives at barn

Pip-black and white dog, lives at barn


	16. Chapter 15: Worried, But Why?

**Yay! I finally figured out what the whole plot. It's just how to get there....**

**What happened to all my reviewers? *cries***

* * *

_Tomorrow night_! Leafpool's mind was reeling. They didn't have too much time. It was a good thing that she was headed for the barn, she supposed. She could pass the news to Daisy and the others.

She glanced at Stormfur's sleeping form. He had insisted on finding a place to sleep instead of traveling through the night to the barn. Even though they probably would have been able to make it to the barn if they had kept going.

And the sleepyhead was still sleeping. The sun was rising slowly from the horizon. Leafpool had hardly slept at all. With the knowledge about what TigerClan was planning, she couldn't sleep.

The two had retreated to the far edge of the marshes after spying on the Gathering. They had slept near the horseplace.

The horses must have sensed Leafpool because they trotted to her and Stormfur. Luckily, a fence separated them. The horses tossed their manes and neighed.

That got Stormfur awake. He jumped up, sleep in his eyes. He blinked up at the horse. "What the…" he muttered.

"Well, let's go," Leafpool meowed.

"Hn? Oh, okay." Stormfur padded beside the fence, ignoring the horses.

Leafpool followed him, her eyes watching the sun rise into the sky. Their time was limited.

They stopped in front of the barn. Leafpool walked cautiously to the barn.

"Daisy?" she called.

A cream colored head appeared in the doorway. "Who's there?" Daisy asked warily.

"It's me, Leafpool. And Stormfur."

Daisy walked out to greet them. "Oh, hi…is something wrong?"

"No, that's not it," Stormfur meowed politely. "May we come in?"

"Of course! How rude of me!" Daisy exclaimed and proceeded to usher them in.

Leafpool looked around the barn. Smoky and Floss were no where to be seen. Hazelkit and Mousekit were scuffling in the straw together. Berrykit was nowhere to be seen.

"Where are Smoky and Floss? And Berrykit?" Stormfur asked.

"Smoky and Floss are deeper inside," Daisy answered. "Actually, TigerClan were here to visit us a few days ago. We just hid and luckily the Twolegs came out before they could find us. They must have known we were there, because they just yowled that they'd be back and left. We don't have anywhere to go besides here. This has always been our home. We've been preparing our defenses."

"They'll attack tonight," Leafpool mewed matter-of-factly. "We heard."

Stormfur blinked. "What about Berrykit?"

A wave of sorrow swept through Daisy's eyes. "He…he's been talking about joining TigerClan for a while. You know, when we lived in the Clans, Bramblestar was his idol. He left a few nights ago. I think he's joined them."

Distress struck at Leafpool. Lots of cats thought that kittypets and rogues didn't belong in the Clans. Even if they were exiled, there might still be cats who want to join TigerClan. Who could they trust now? Berrykit had only been a kit…

"He really is a good kit," Daisy whimpered.

Stormfur stepped forward. "May we stay here? We'd like to see who's in TigerClan. Leafpool and I will help you to defend yourselves."

Daisy shook her head sadly. "There's no way we can fight against this TigerClan, even with you two. It's just not possible now. They outnumber us by many. Floss, Smoky, and I are going to hide in the straw. We'll be close to the door, so if they find us, we can fetch the Twolegs. At sundown, Smoky will lead Pip out here. Hopefully, he can hold out some of TigerClan."

Leafpool frowned. "Who's Pip?"

"He's the black and white terrier. He's tiny, but he's got a big bark. We just hope he won't run away. It's natural for cats to be afraid of dogs."

Daisy padded to a huge clump of straw next to the door. "We'll be hiding here. Kits, come over here."

Hazelkit and Mousekit stumbled to their mother and instantly stopped play-fighting. Daisy gave them each a lick on the top of their head and turned them toward the straw. "You'll hide here tonight, okay?"

"Okay," they answered in unison.

* * *

Nightcloud awoke beside Crowfeather. She jumped up in alarm at the sun high in the sky. How long had she been asleep? Then she remembered. Leafpool was gone. She could relax.

Crowfeather opened his eyes. His blue eyes were blurry and fuzzy. He blinked and rose to his paws. "Do you want to hunt?" he suggested.

"Okay," Nightcloud agreed. She pressed her pelt to his, their tails intertwining. He purred softly, running his tongue over the top of her head.

They set off in different directions and returned to eat together, leaving them both with full bellies. They lay in the sun beside the lake, sharing tongues.

Nightcloud flicked her tail and stood up. "I'm going to check out the old ShadowClan camp."

"Sure…" Crowfeather meowed. "Later, then."

Nightcloud walked into the woods. As soon as she was out of sight, she started to run. Right toward the Twoleg nest. How was Leafpool? Was she okay? Had TigerClan caught her? She skidded to a halt. This was stupid. Why was she worried about her rival? Still, worry stabbed at her. Leafpool had traveled with her for a long time, after all.

She continued to the Twoleg nest. Sandstorm was waiting for her at the entrance. She greeted her as she approached.

Nightcloud nodded to her. "Any news from Leafpool and Stormfur?" she asked, worry evident in her voice.

Her eyes darkened with sympathy. "Not quite. We hope that they're at the barn now, but we don't know."

"I see," Nightcloud answered quietly.

She returned to Crowfeather. But even he couldn't stop her feelings of worry, especially when she couldn't tell him why she was worried.


	17. Chapter 16: The Others

The shadows of the invaders appeared silently. It was impossible to notice the dark shapes and camouflaged pelts against the night sky. The TigerClan warriors halted, waiting for their leader's command.

A loud bark rang through the night. Some of the cats looked at one another uncertainly, but none of them moved from their hiding spot. The rest of the cats looked to Hawkstar for his command.

The brown tabby let his ice-blue gaze travel across the lighted barn. These foolish barn cats. Did they really think this would drive his warriors away? It would take much more than that. He had many cats, and many of them were hungry. The territory wasn't enough to support so many cats, especially with those mangy, crow-food eating exiles…

Hawkstar shook himself, clearing his head of the thought. He'd find them and they'd be sorry that they ever crossed him.

Meanwhile…when such a prey-filled consideration opened up to him with only a few, weak defending cats, there was no reason not to help himself to the territory. It would only take a few heartbeats, then it would be over.

One of his apprentices wailed. "I want to go home!" he whimpered.

"Coward!" his friend snarled. "We're warriors."

Hawkstar smiled. Those too weak, not worthy of living would be eliminated quickly. He had no need for such weaklings in _this_ Clan. Perhaps Bramblestar had been hesitant at first to taking over ThunderClan and bringing back TigerClan, but no longer. He had realized the meaning of true power.

This reign would last forever. Even if Hawkstar had only received three lives, Brokenstar, Tigerstar, and Darkstripe were all the guidance he needed. There would be no one left to defy him soon.

"Blackclaw!" he called quietly to his second-in-command. "Are we ready?"

The black tom hurried over. "Most certainly, Hawkstar. Any heartbeat now."

"Good." Hawkstar's smile wavered, then switched to a sneer. "Let us go."

The TigerClan warriors advanced closer to the barn. The loud barks grew louder and fiercer and a Twoleg came out.

"Wait," hissed Hawkstar.

The Twoleg mumbled at the dog and shooed him away, walking back into his den. TigerClan sprang forward, heading straight for the barn.

* * *

Bramblestar growled softly to himself. The sparrow flew through his outstretched claws and into the freedom of the sky.

He stared, lashing his tail in frustration. Two more steps and he would have caught it. And that had been the only prey he'd seen that morning. Since WindClan had moved into the old ThunderClan territory, there had barely been enough to eat. Bramblestar had tried sending the former WindClan cats to the moorland, but it had been too long of a journey to make every day.

The former WindClan cats had taught the rest of TigerClan how to hunt rabbits in the first Gathering. The former Clan cats had shared ways of hunting. After all, there was no point in keeping it to themselves anymore. Every cat was starving. The first moon had been fine, but after that, all the prey had fled or been caught and eaten already.

"Bad luck!"

Bramblestar turned to greet his lovely ginger-coated mate. Squirrelflight bound to his side, purring as his tongue swept across her ears.

"Come on," he murmured. "We have to catch _some_ prey."

She nodded and kept up with his fast pace. Bramblestar, at her side, scented the air. His eyes flew open and darted to a large bush.

Squirrelflight was instantly alert to the intruders. She snarled and threw herself at the bush.

The intruder lashed at Squirrelflight with her paws. Bramblestar recognized the traitorous blue eyes and gray fur of the former RiverClan deputy. He knew of her hunting and fighting skills that would have been an asset to TigerClan, had she not turned against them. Still, he could use a warrior like her.

"Squirrelflight, stop!" he commanded.

Squirrelflight glanced back at him, her eyes wide. Mistyfoot took the opportunity to rake Squirrelflight's shoulder. Squirrelflight growled and kicked at her. Mistyfoot easily dodged, staring coolly at both cats.

"Mistyfoot," Bramblestar addressed her. "Maybe you would explain what you are doing on our territory."

"Our," mewed Mistyfoot quietly. "Our."

"You have an objection?" was Bramblestar's formal reply.

"Quite. It seems as if it is only _your _territory, Bramblestar. And your malicious brother, Hawkstar."

Bramblestar said nothing. Mistyfoot continued.

"We are four Clans, not two. Most cats seem to have forgotten that."

"What is the problem with having only two Clans? Isn't friendship between the Clans what you want?" Bramblestar questioned.

"Friendship, not complete unity. Those are two separate things."

"We may have different views from you, but we will forgive you and allow you to join TigerClan if you only give up your silly beliefs. We need a warrior like you, Mistyfoot." _Flatter the cat, _Bramblestar thought. _That's the first step._

"What?!" exclaimed Squirrelflight. "But, Bramblestar-"

Bramblestar cut her off with a simple look. He looked to Mistyfoot for her decision.

Mistyfoot's eyes narrowed. "I think not." She leaped and sank her teeth in Squirrelflight's leg.

"We offered," muttered Bramblestar. His mate, meanwhile, yowled in pain and battered at her opponent.

He clawed Mistyfoot mercilessly. She let go, though she turned on him, raking his nose, leaving a deep scar.

She was stronger than he had thought. Fine, there was no reason to go easy on her.

Bramblestar sank his claws in her shoulder while Squirrelflight sank her teeth in Mistyfoot's front paw.

Mistyfoot wasn't stupid, either. She kicked at Bramblestar, loosening his grip, and finished by spinning around, knocking Squirrelflight into her mate, throwing them both off of her. She growled, daring them to try to attack again.

"True warriors fight like this," she meowed.

Mistyfoot hurled herself at Bramblestar, letting her jaws graze his ear smarly. He hissed and clawed at her shoulder.

She leaped back and went for Squirrelflight instead, kicking her in the belly and raking her claws across Squirrelflight's face.

And it went like that. Every time Bramblestar or Squirrelflight tried to attack her, Mistyfoot would dodge and aim for the other.

Soon, they were completely out of breath. Panting, Bramblestar stared at the almost completely unhurt Mistyfoot and felt a twinge of jealousy. How could she fight for so long and be almost unaffected? _I can't be defeated by one warrior!_

He snarled softly and staggered to his feet, growling angrily. He pushed Mistyfoot over and tried to pin her down. She wasn't having that. Mistyfoot raked his claws over his belly fur, creating a long red line of blood. Bramblestar ignored it and sank his teeth in her throat. She gasped and kicked and clawed at his belly.

She was weakening, he could feel it. Almost there. Squirrelflight walked to his side, gazing down at the dying she-cat.

Squirrelflight smiled wickedly. "You should have taken Bramblestar's kind offer, don't you think?"

Mistyfoot made a strangled noise that sounded somewhat like "Never!", but her strength was ebbing away.

A ferocious snarl startled Bramblestar as a strong tom landed on him. Squirrelflight spun around, her eyes wide with surprise.

"A-ashfur?" she stammered.

The light gray tom only glared at her. "You traitor! As for you, Bramblestar…I wouldn't have guessed you would fall so low…"

"What about the fox trap?" Squirrelflight challenged him. "Hawkstar told us that you helped him. Now, what do you have to say about that?"

Ashfur snorted. "First of all, my dear faithless she-cat, that was my revenge on you. My quarrel was only with you. I had intended for Hawkstar to kill Firestar, not Bramblestar. I should have known Hawkstar wouldn't tell me the whole story." He shook his head. "I never had anything against Bramblestar. But at the moment, my perspective of him has changed quite a bit."

Mistyfoot, no longer pinned down by Bramblestar, staggered to her feet. "You would have made a great leader, Bramblestar. If only you had gone about it the right way," she coughed.

Squirrelflight glared at both Mistyfoot and Ashfur, as if to look for her next target. She lunged for Ashfur, who only laughed.

Mistyfoot, who still had some strength, grazed Squirrelflight's legs, while Ashfur raked his claws across her face. She hissed and sprang back, circling at a wary distance.

Bramblestar was not a weak cat. He had been trained in the ways of Tigerstar himself, and he couldn't be beat that easily. He threw Ashfur off, lashing at him with his claws.

Ashfur's eyes narrowed and he rose on his legs, lashing back at Bramblestar. Mistyfoot went for Squirrelflight, driving her back.

The TigerClan battle cry rang out around them. Ashfur and Mistyfoot backed away, ears flattened against their heads. There was no opening in the circle of TigerClan warriors.

The two exiles' eyes gazed at the warriors, looking for any weakness. There was none to be found, thought Bramblestar. There is no weakness in our warriors.

He smiled. "Well, how would you like to join our Clan now, Mistyfoot, Ashfur?"

* * *

Nightcloud growled angrily as the bird fluttered from her outstretched claws. All morning, and all she had caught was a small mouse. And there had been so much prey, too! TigerClan only really hunted on RiverClan and ThunderClan territory. ShadowClan and WindClan? Rarely.

"Ah…Nightcloud?"

"What?" Nightcloud snapped, not taking her eyes off of where her prey had been.

An unfamiliar scent wafted into her nose. She spun around, cursing slightly under her breath.

The tortoiseshell she-cat dipped her head. "You are Nightcloud, right?"

"Yes…Tawnypelt? We've met at Gatherings before."

"That's right, and you were always the stingy cat." She smiled.

"Not anymore." Nightcloud tried to keep her voice casual. "What are you doing here? I haven't seen you around."

"Oh, that…" Tawnypelt sighed. "It really was horrible. Rowanclaw and I got separated when TigerClan found us hiding out around the border between ShadowClan and ThunderClan. But that was a while ago."

"_Come back?_ What do you mean? Where did you go after you were exiled?"

"I visited the safespot under the bridge just a bit outside RiverClan territory. They've got a nice place there, but I'm not really into eating wet prey."

"Safespot?" Nightcloud tilted her head curiously. "Anyway, you should talk to Barley and Ravenpaw about this."

"Ah…I did hear there was a safespot here, too…that's partially why I came back. Safespots are places where other exiled Clan cats or rogues or loners or whatever live together," the tortoiseshell explained. "There's one under the bridge outside RiverClan territory, like I told you, and I heard there's one here, too. You live there, right?"

"Well, around there," Nightcloud muttered, trying not to look like an apprentice caught stealing prey. "Come on."

Nightcloud led the pretty tortoiseshell through the trees. As they neared the abandoned Twoleg nest, Tawnypelt's ears pricked up.

"The abandoned Twoleg nest?" she asked.

"Yep."

Nightcloud leaped onto the roof of the Twoleg nest. The black and white tom was there, like she'd predicted, asleep. She neared him cautiously. Her tail reached out to gently nudge him.

He twitched and his eyes flew open. "Mmm?"

Barley sat up, starting to groom his messy pelt. "This is?"

"Tawnypelt," the tortoiseshell introduced herself, stepping forward.

"She has news of other Clan cats," Nightcloud meowed.

Barley looked interested. "Very good. Oh, and Nightcloud? I haven't seen you around very much, but do bring back some prey. Rowanclaw was caught in a skirmish with a few TigerClan warriors on the small Thunderpath."

"Rowanclaw? Rowanclaw's here? Where is he? Is he alright?" Tawnpelt blurted out, her eyes wide with fear.

"Don't worry; he's fine. Just tired. A few scratches here and there, but nothing that can't be healed." Barley ran his tongue over his paw. "Willowpaw is tending to him."

Tawnypelt sighed in relief.

"Anyway, Tawnypelt, I suppose you do have news to bring to us."

"Well, yes…"

Nightcloud retreated quietly, though she longed to hear what Tawnpelt had seen. But she had to return to Crowfeather before he grew suspicious.

* * *

Tawnypelt's eyes darted around warily. "Weren't you living in that barn back at the old forest? What are you doing here?"

Barley's eyes flooded with amusement. "Young cat, I can see that I'm not welcome here. By your standards, that is. As for the barn, it was destroyed by the Twolegs. Supposedly, they were going to make another Twoleg nest." He snorted. "As if there weren't enough already!"

Tawnypelt's fur began to lie flat. "So you came here…"

"Is there a problem with that?"

Tawnypelt didn't answer, so he continued. "Your news?" he pressed.

Oh, yes. Tawnypelt had seen so much since she'd been exiled. Her mind went back to the life under the bridge, where prey was plentiful. Yet, the cats were often wet and distrustful. It was not only exiled Clan cats, but loners and rogues and abandoned kittypets, too. All of them had learned to fend for themselves, and it seemed as if there was no end to the silence and solitude. So many cats were there, yet few seemed to be enjoying themselves. She had heard tales and the whereabouts of the other Clan cats. Many of them had passed by the bridge, though few stayed.

"After I was exiled," Tawnypelt began. "I left ThunderClan territory for ShadowClan. I was with my mate, Rowanclaw at that time, though we were caught on the border. We were separated, and I suppose Rowanclaw was brought here. Anyway, I went through ShadowClan and RiverClan territory as quickly as possible. At the river, I met a cat, a cat I've never seen before. She was a rogue, and a small one at that. She told me I smelled like one of those forest cats and led me to a bridge.

"That was where many of the Clan cats had passed by. Few were still there, since most Clans don't like wet food like fish. Still, many rogues lived there, and I learned about the safespots.

"Safespots are areas where the exiled Clan cats gather to live together," she explained. "Most of us are very hungry and thin when we arrive, but with the help of our fellow cats, we get better quickly.

"Stormfur and Brook were there to prove that. They meowed they wouldn't be leaving anytime soon.

"The rogues told me that a gray she-cat with blue eyes had told them about one near the Greenleaf Twolegplace, where Twolegs go swimming in Greenleaf. When I inquired further, they told me she was with a light gray tom with dark gray specks. The she-cat smelled faintly like fish, and the tom smelled like the trees. I believe that those two were Mistyfoot of RiverClan and Ashfur of ThunderClan.

"The Greenleaf Twolegplace was known to be a nice, laid back place. It's only leafbare right now, so there are no Twolegs. It was a great place for a fisher like Mistyfoot, though I doubt Ashfur enjoyed it. Either way, they left the bridge just as quickly.

"There is a much smaller safespot deep in ThunderClan territory. It's just on the border of ThunderClan and the unknowns, under a tiny bridge. TigerClan cats rarely hunt there. Ashfur had been there before he met up with Mistyfoot at the Greenleaf Twolegplace.

"Cloudtail was there when Ashfur was, and so were Whitepaw and Brightheart. There were not as many cats there as the bridge, and no rogues at all. Rushtail was there as well, that cranky old elder from WindClan.

"Only one cat was known to be living at the abandoned Twoleg Nest in ThunderClan territory: Mousefur. When Cloudtail passed by there, he told her about the small bridge. I think she went there."

Tawnypelt finished her long report and curled her tail around her legs with a flourish. Barley's face remained thoughtful. He didn't meow for a while. When he did, he simply told her that she could stay here as long as she wanted, thanking her for her news.

* * *

**New POV's! I want to get Squirrelflight's next time.**


	18. Chapter 17: Attack!

The moon's rays shone calmly over the peaceful landscape. The world's creatures fell to sleep with this light shining over them protectively. The lake's water was still and lonely.

A single yowl shattered the silence. Chaos broke out as TigerClan's warriors fell onto their prey.

According to plan, the TigerClan warriors split into two. Blackclaw growled softly, and his group took to the far side of the barn, where the barn cats lived. Hawkstar flicked his tail, signaling for his warriors to take to the shelter of the shadows on the other side.

Both cats nodded, and their followers flooded the area. Blackclaw's group attacked, directly upon their enemy.

The attack had been well planned. Fur flew in the air and claws lashed unsheathed, spilling blood mercilessly.

"There are too many," wailed the mother.

The brown tabby nodded and looked to the one who was doing most of the fighting. "Stormfur, come."

The dark gray tom gazed at her. He gave his enemy a last slash and raced to his companions' side.

The enemy, and their two guests, fled, the mother shoving her kits along. They ran, chased by the vicious cats.

"Don't come back," hissed Hawkstar. "This belongs to TigerClan now."

One of the guests dared to look back, his amber eyes burning into Hawkstar's own blue eyes.

The cat looked away, but Hawkstar couldn't shake the image out of his head. Stormfur. That traitor.

Once the victims were completely out of sight, Blackclaw looked to his leader for permission. Once granted, he let out a single long howl of victory. The others joined him, showing off their triumph.

Hawkstar alone abstained. "How long," he whispered, "until they will be truly gone?"

* * *

Stormfur's frustration showed. He had not refrained from the battle completely willingly. "We could have taken them on!"

Leafpool's fur prickled with indignation. For the millionth time, she explained to him why five full grown cats and two kits could not take on forty.

"Here." Smoky poked his head out of the bramble bush he'd been looking through. "We're here."

"Really?" Leafpool asked. "This is it?"

He nodded. "Yep. The bridge safespot."

"Should be down the river," Floss clarified. "Though I'm not sure how much longer the kits can go."

They had stopped because the two kits had grown tired of the long walk. They were only a few moons old, not old enough to be apprenticed.

"We're not tired…" Mousekit protested as his eyes drooped sleepily.

Stormfur rolled his eyes, temporarily ignoring his argument with Leafpool. "Look, we'll each carry one of them."

Leafpool picked Hazelkit up by her scruff, and Stormfur carried Mousekit.

"Thanks," Daisy meowed.

Stormfur led the way down the river, as the sun rose higher into the sky.

"Remember though," muttered Leafpool through Hazelkit's fur. "TigerClan lives near here. We need to be careful."

Smoky nodded, his attention mostly focused down the river at the large bridge. He stopped before it, staring up at the Twoleg path above the bridge.

Floss delicately rose to her paws and called out. "Hello?"

Smoky laid his tail on her shoulders. "Easy, Floss. They'll be suspicious."

Stormfur set Mousekit down on the ground. The two kits started toward the bridge, while Daisy took the time to stop them and let them curl up next to her.

Stormfur took a few steps closer to the bridge. It loomed over them, tall and threatening. Yet partially, it seemed like home. His home back in the old forest, with the lush forest and the sparkling river.

"Stormfur?"

A brown tabby she-cat stepped out of the shadow of the bridge, staring at him in wonder. Her amber eyes glittered happily as she rushed toward him.

"Brook!" Stormfur forgot everything instantly as she settled against his chest fur, purring with joy. He licked her ears fondly, feeling her soft, beautiful fur parting for him.

Leafpool gazed at her. "Brook…how long have you been here?"

Brook pulled away from her mate slightly. "Actually, once I was banished, I rounded around the lake. This place…it just seemed like home. Come on."

Brook walked toward the bridge, beckoning with her tail. She ran back to Stormfur, and, chattering like young kits, they ran together, tail intertwining, into the shadows.

Leafpool looked to the two kits and the three full-grown cats. "Let's go."

Daisy nodded, picking up Mousekit, and followed her with a flick of her tail. Smoky looked at the two she-cats and carried Hazelkit, following the two with Floss.

The two kits soon struggled away from the grip that held them and raced toward the bridge. They were the first to enter after Stormfur and Brook.

"Wow! It's huge in here!" Mousekit's voice echoed in the spacious area.

"Let's explore!" Hazelkit motioned to her littermate, her eyes shimmering with excitement.

"Wait!" Brook hissed. "Most of the cats will be sleeping at this time of the day. Your exploration can wait. Anyway, you should get some sleep."

The kits' ears drooped, but they did as Brook said, shrinking up against their mother, and almost instantly fell asleep.

Daisy sighed and lay down, drawing her kits toward her. Smoky and Floss lingered with them, watching the mother and her kits sleep.

Leafpool ran to Stormfur and Brook. "Where is everyone?"

"Like I said," Brook answered. "Sleeping. I'll show you."

* * *

Nightcloud finished her sparrow and leaned against Crowfeather. He smiled and gently licked her ears. The black she-cat cat sighed and nuzzled him.

She couldn't keep this up for long. This pretense, living two separate lives. No matter what happened, Nightcloud would have to bring those two lives together at some point. And when she did, would Crowfeather leave her for Leafpool?

These thoughts always distracted her, since Leafpool was, in a way, her friend, now. There was no way friends should hide things from each other…right?

_Later, _Nightcloud thought, enjoying herself in Crowfeather's embrace, _when she comes back. Then I'll tell her. I'll tell both of them. _Pain struck at the black she-cat. _Even if he leaves me._

* * *

"You're staying?!" Leafpool exclaimed.

The couple in front of her nodded in unison.

"Brook wants to stay here," Stormfur explained. "And I want to stay with her. This will be our home now. We'll be staying for a while."

"I can't believe it," Leafpool murmured.  
"You'll be leaving soon, right?" Brook asked. "To return to that ShadowClan Twoleg nest?"

"Yes," Leafpool meowed. "I have to. But the prophecy…"

Brook's ears prickled upward. "A prophecy? Has StarClan spoken?"

Leafpool nodded. "They told me that a cat, hated by all, would save us. I thought that it might be Daisy, or Floss, or Smoky. TigerClan hates kittypets, don't they?"

The brown tabby tilted her head. "That's not hated by all, though. We care about them, and they care about themselves, too."

"I guess…what could StarClan mean, then? What cat-or creature- would hate itself?"

"I don't know. Maybe something that has lost all will to live."

"Either way, you should head back, Leafpool," Stormfur mewed. "You think you'll be okay on your own. You'll have to cross by the TigerClan camp."

"I'll be fine." Leafpool grimaced slightly, thinking about the last time she had been captured by TigerClan. This time she probably wouldn't be so lucky as to make it through if she were caught.

There were few ways to make her way to the Twoleg nest. The way around the lake was out of the question, much too far.

The other way, across RiverClan territory, was fiercely guarded by TigerClan. There was too much risk in going that way.

"You know, you can wait until the next full moon, when they have the Gathering. Best if you leave the safespot now, though." Brook twitched her ears.

_Of course! Why hadn't she thought of that?_ The next full moon wouldn't be for a while, but Leafpool could wait. She wasn't in a hurry to tell her friends that this quest had been in vain.

* * *

**Last chapter, I accidentally made Tawny say that Storm and Brook were staying at the safespot when Storm was escorting Leaf. Oh, well.**

**I fixed it in this chapter, but this means that Night's time is faster than Leaf's. Doesn't really matter now, since Leaf is waiting until the next full moon. **

**Btw, I've been thinking of starting another Warriors story. It's going to be a comedy, but I need some ideas...**

**~Wolfstar**


	19. Chapter 18: Guilt

**I've actually had this on my computer for a while, and I'm only coming to uploading it now...**

* * *

The moon shone full and bright over the lake's calm waters. Two Clans of cats, now joined into one, journeyed together to the small piece of land among the blue water.

Two identical brown tabbies, whose only difference was their eye color, dipped their heads to each other, giving the two Clans the chance to chat and exchange news. The air instantly became full of sound.

A golden tabby and a brown tom walked together, watching the other cats pass by. When passing a big-leafed bush, the brown tom flicked his tail toward it. The golden tabby nodded, her amber eyes glittering in the moonlight.

Smaller cats ran by, purring happily as they chased one another around the tall tree that stood in the middle of the clearing.

Older cats trotted past, deep in conversation. Their fur lay sleek and flat, their eyes alert and gleaming.

Leafpool gazed at the joyful sight, sighing. _It was us going to the Gatherings once. All four Clans._

She looked away from the island, to the dark shadows of the bushes in what used to be RiverClan territory. She had to take the chance. There had to be no hesitation, or she'd have to wait another moon.

Stealthily, she climbed down to the river. She only had to cross this and make it around the TigerClan camp to be safe and on her way back to her friends. The river wouldn't be much problem; it was getting through the camp that would be hard. It may be a Gathering night, but TigerClan wasn't so secure that they wouldn't have guards around the camp. Some cats might be hunting, and as a former medicine cat, Leafpool had never been trained in the ways of fighting like a warrior would be. It would be difficult to take down an experienced warrior by herself.

Extending a paw, she dipped it into the water, feeling the cold wetness soak into her fur. Biting back a hiss, Leafpool placed another paw into the water, and another, until all four paws were in the water, and her leg fur was completely drenched with the freezing coldness.

Shivering slightly, the brown she-cat forced herself to keep taking small steps until she reached the opposite bank. She instantly broke into a run, and collapsed, panting from the cold, onto the drier ground.

Once her breath had returned to normal, she stood up and scanned her surroundings. She could clearly smell the mixed scents of RiverClan and ShadowClan.

It had been dangerous to this way. The other way, going farther up the river to the place it flowed into the lake, had a much wider stretch of water though it was more isolated and farther from the camp. This way, she could cross the river, then travel up the river and cross the small stream. All in all, it was a rather long journey to make in a single night.  
Leafpool groaned and padded quietly up the stream. Hopefully, her detour across the river would hide her scent.

She shuddered. Each bush rattling in the wind, at least to her, looked like a watchful TigerClan warrior.

Paws shaking a little, Leafpool faced the small stream. It was nothing compared to the large, scary river. She made it across in two leaps.

The dangerous part of the journey was over, for the most part. There had been no incident luckily, though her paws stung from the countless stones she'd tripped over.

She heard a bush rustle behind her. Leafpool jumped, spinning around with a frightened squeak. A small brown tabby tom faced her.

His eyes narrowed. "So it is you. I thought so."

With a growl of rage, he hurled himself at her. Leafpool mustered all that Cinderpelt had taught her about combat. She tried to dodge, but only succeeded in helping Voletooth pin her down. He loomed over her, his teeth bared.

"W-wait! Voletooth!"

He relaxed. "I won't kill you. You'll be an important hostage. Anyways, it's Hawkstar's decision in the end."

_Hawkstar?_ She'd have no chance with him.

Voletooth was already dragging her toward the camp. She fought, her claws digging in his pelt. He didn't seem to feel it at all; he simply kept up his pace. Panicked, she dug her teeth in his shoulder. He felt this.

Voletooth turned slowly to glare at her. He kicked her away with a hind leg. She fell to the ground, and scrambled up, fleeing as fast as she could.

He caught up to her in a heartbeat, pulling her back. "Voletooth! Please! Just let me go! I wasn't stealing prey or anything!"

"You were trespassing," he growled. It was amazing how a tiny cat could be so strong. "You better be able to explain this to Hawkstar."

She attempted to kick him; he dodged swiftly without loosing his grip on her.

"Voletooth?" Mothwing stepped out of the bushes without noticing Leafpool. "I found some marigold over here. Can you help me carry some back to ca-what are you doing?"

"What does it look like?" growled the brown tom through Leafpool's fur. "I found this cat trespassing over our territory."

Mothwing gave Leafpool a glance. Though the glance was uninterested, Leafpool could sense her friend's alarm.

"What do you think, Mothwing?" Voletooth smirked at Leafpool. "Should I kill her now or leave her to Hawkstar?"

Leafpool gnashed her teeth, hissing angrily. She aimed a claw at Voletooth's ear. He had an advantage over her, since he was smaller and more agile, and ducked.

"My brother has many more important things to worry about." Mothwing looked over her shoulder to the bushes behind her. "We really need to be going. It's quite dark already."

"So you think I should just let her go?" Voletooth's response was disbelieving.

"No, that'd be mousebrained. But she's a medicine cat; she could help me with my duties. It's hard for Littlecloud and me to manage the whole Clan. Or we can send her over to help Barkface." The golden she-cat twitched her ears.

"What, and let her eat our prey?" Leafpool's heart leapt at Voletooth's reply. _No, not now, I'm so close!_ "But you have a point. Let's go."

Voletooth nudged his captive roughly. Leafpool broke into a trot with Voletooth right behind her.

"Right here." Mothwing stopped, staring down at a patch of marigold.

Voletooth nodded, bending down his head to take a mouthful of the plant. Mothwing lashed her tail silently at Leafpool. _Now's your chance. Go!_

Leafpool turned to Mothwing, gratitude in her eyes, as the beautiful tabby she-cat bent her head to grab some marigold. Leafpool spun around and fled. She could hear Voletooth's startled yowl behind her.

Voletooth's claws scarred her back as he leapt for her. She tore away, deepening the wounds, but making it out in one piece. His cries faded as she put more distance in between them, darting in and around plants. When his voice was out of hearing distance, she sank to the ground. Her injuries were deep and painful. She wanted to just lay there all night to rest.

This was TigerClan territory. There was too much risk in staying here. She had to keep going. Leafpool staggered to her feet, whimpering in pain. She took a few small steps forward. It was hard to walk with these deep scars in her back. Her breath came out as erratic huffs. Voletooth had planned those attacks well. If he were to chase her now, she had no chance. None at all.

Leafpool groaned quietly. She stumbled toward the direction she thought was ShadowClan territory. Her eyelids felt so heavy and paws seemed to weigh a ton…

Black…why was the tree black? And blood flowing over the roots…

The brown tabby stopped and instantly fell down, immediately losing consciousness.

Nightcloud tore her teeth from the mouse she was eating at the weak groan coming from the tree in front of her. What could it be? TigerClan warriors…

Nightcloud had gone near the RiverClan border to find more food. It was greenleaf now, but with two Clans and many other cats, there was little food to spare. Crowfeather was dozing at their den.

Nightcloud froze, and after a few seconds, she slowly inched toward the tree. Cautiously, she peered behind it. A limp lump of fur fell at her feet. Nightcloud recognized the brown tabby pelt of Leafpool.

_Leafpool! _She had to be back from the kittypets' nest_. _A million thoughts ran through the black she-cat's mind. _No! What about…? Oh, Crowfeather! _

Now that Leafpool had returned, there was no hiding her from Crowfeather. And what would Crowfeather do once he knew?

_Still…_Nightcloud looked down at the pathetic scrap. _What if…what if I just kill her here? _Leafpool was much too weak to make a single sound, much less escape.

Nightcloud raised one claw. She had never killed anyone in cold blood, only maybe in the heat of battle, where she had just her survival instincts about her. Her breathing had become irregular as she stared down at her victim.

The silence was too long. Nightcloud raised her claw higher, shaking, ready to stab down any heartbeat.

No. The black she-cat let down her claw. She couldn't do it. Not when she had traveled with Leafpool, learned more about the medicine cat than she would have ever imagined.

Nightcloud grasped Leafpool's scruff. She had to get her to the Twoleg nest where they could tend to her wounds.

"What happened to her?" Sandstorm whispered numbly.

Nightcloud kept her eyes on Leafpool's body. It had to be hard for the ginger she-cat. First losing her mate, now seeing her daughter so severely injured. What could Nightcloud say? That she had wanted to kill Leafpool?

Willowpaw crept from the small crack in the den, carrying several herbs. She set down all of them except a large cobweb, which she applied to the huge cut in Leafpool's back. She spread marigold all over and stood up.

"Nightcloud, go inform Barley and the others, will you?" she meowed.

Nightcloud nodded. She dashed from the den. _Barley and Ravenpaw are usually on the top. But what will they say about this? More importantly, what news does Leafpool have?_

Barley was on the top, just as she had thought, but Ravenpaw was no where in sight. He spotted her instantly and trotted toward her quickly, obviously sensing her alarm.

"What's wrong?"

"Leafpool…Leafpool's back…"

Barley's ears prickled up. "Does she have anything to say about the prophecy?"

The black she-cat shook her head. "She's wounded."

He blinked and headed for the tall thing that stood out of the roof. As he was about to jump into the hole in the middle, he turned to Nightcloud.

"I haven't seen you around much. Is everything okay?"

"Mmm…yeah." Nightcloud was caught off her guard. "I…I'm not used to living with so many cats after it was only Leafpool and me."

"I guess so. You two were friends, right?"

Nightcloud nodded, swallowing her guilt. "Right."


	20. Chapter 19: Different Perspectives

**I'm sorry it's not that long!**

**I've kinda lost interest in this story for now, but I'll come back to it. **It was too dark. Blackness surrounded her. She existed in a world of darkness.

* * *

_Am I dead? _she wondered.

But just that moment, Leafpool finally burst through the black, crossing into a world of light.

"Leafpool? Leafpool! Oh, I was so worried!" Ginger fur was rubbing against her cheek.

Sandstorm gazed fondly at her daughter. "You're never to go into TigerClan territory against, understand?" she cried.

Leafpool sat up groggily. "H-how long have I been out?"

"Two nights," her mother whispered. "Since Nightcloud dragged you here."

"Nightcloud?" Leafpool murmured to herself.

* * *

_Chirp!_ The bird's last cry was cut off as Nightcloud sprang.

"Nice catch!" Her mate emerged from the bushes nearby.

"Thanks," she purred, brushing against his flank. "I think I've gotten used to woodland hunting."

They purred together, basking in each other's presence.

"Oh, yes!" Crowfeather exclaimed. "I almost forgot to tell you. This morning, I scented Clan cats."

He mistook her horror for excitement and continued. "I thought we should check it out later."

She was frozen. _This was bad. Really, really bad. It wouldn't be long until he knew about Leafpool now._

"Nightcloud?" He nudged her lightly.

She blinked rapidly. "I….that's great news!" she gasped, trying to keep up her innocent image.

Luckily (or unluckily), Crowfeather didn't notice her momentary hesitation. Or if he did, he must have assumed it was from utter joy, for he continued. "We can explore now, if you want."

At least he was trying to please her. "Uh…well…" She tried to think of a good enough reason why they couldn't go.

"Ah…" That was it! "Well, I mean, these could be TigerClan cats. We might want to plan things out a bit." Nightcloud had always liked to plan out her actions.

"Oh." He looked a bit downcast. "Yes, you're right."

She felt a bit sorry for him. But not enough to change her mind. "Come on, we can eat together," she mewed, lying down.

* * *

Squirrelflight stared contentedly down from the leader's den. She lived there with Bramblestar now.

She was the strongest cat now, the one with the most power. Oh, Bramblestar had his image of a merciless and clever leader, but oh, no, she was the one with the power. Besides, she knew that Bramblestar would do anything for her.

It wasn't completely right to take lives, she supposed, but if these were the lives of disloyal cats who were set to weaken the Clan, then it was fine. It was the same concept as driving out foxes or badgers. They weakened the Clan. The Clan could never afford to be weak.

She remembered when cats had doubted her because her father had once been a kittypet. That was different. It wasn't like she was a kittypet. As for killing her father…well, this was a worthy cause, wasn't it? Joining the Clans so they could be stronger and peaceful? The Clans would never fight again. Eternal peace would remain around the lake. No cat would ever die because of Clan skirmishes again. They would unite against common enemies, like rogues or badgers. This was something Firestar would support. If only he had understood.

Perhaps there were two Clans, but it was only for the image. In true sense, they were one. Any enemy would be sandwiched and…dealt with.

She smiled. All the cats feared her, even more than Bramblestar. For all the cats feared Bramblestar when he came by, but it was no good; they all spoke of him badly behind his back. She was different. No one knew which side she was on, if she was spying on Bramblestar for them, or on them for Bramblestar. And she was content to let it stay this way.

They would all fear her. All of them….

* * *

Nightcloud had just spent the rest of the day wandering around. She knew that whatever Crowfeather was, he was a loyal mate, and he wouldn't go explore without her.

There just wasn't enough time. She needed to find away to distract-but she had promised herself that she would tell Crowfeather about Leafpool. It was his choice after all. Oh, but…

* * *

Tawnypelt sniffed the air. She had been hunting for much of the day, since sun-high. The sun had fallen a bit, but it was still warm enough.

Her mind wandered to Rowanclaw. Her mate had always been their, protecting and defending her. Now he was gone.

Often he haunted her in her dreams. She would think StarClan would tell her where he was, but then he'd just disappear into utter darkness. There weren't many ShadowClan cats here at the Twoleg nest. Though ShadowClan had accepted her, many of them continued to believe that kittypets and half-Clan cats were threats. This was just the way things were.

Sparrow! Its head was rested contentedly against its shoulder. It was in the simple state of bliss.

No more of that. Tawnypelt fell into a hunting crouch and stalked forward. She prepared to spring.

Just in that moment, something knocked her out of the way and slashed the sparrow's life away. As she landed, winded, she heard an anxious voice in her ear. The voice became clearer as she recovered.

"I'm sorry! I didn't see you there! Are you okay?"

Tawnypelt stumbled to her paws, giving her pelt a few licks. Mistyfoot looked on worriedly.

"I didn't expect to see you again," Tawnypelt meowed.

"Oh, yes, you were at the Greenleaf Twolegplace, right?"

"Yep." Tawnypelt dipped her head to the former deputy.

Mistyfoot tilted her head to its side. "Are you passing through here?"

"Oh, no, permanent residence," Tawnypelt replied. "There's a whole other bunch of cats."

"Really?" Mistyfoot gasped. "I have to go tell Ashfur!"

"He's still with you, then?"

Mistyfoot had already sprang away. Tawnypelt, shaking her head, followed her.

It wasn't far. A few moments later, Ashfur appeared, carrying a mouse. "Hrmm?" he mumbled through his prey.

"We've found them, Ashfur! Tawnypelt says there's a bunch of cats here!"

The gray tom spit out his prey. "As many as at the other places we visited?"

Mistyfoot turned to Tawnypelt. She coughed slightly. "Ah, well, probably. I mean, there's Leafpool, and Brackenfur, Willowpaw, Sandstorm…oh, and Nightcloud." She frowned. "Though I haven't seen her around for a while."

Ashfur's ears twitched. He tilted his head thoughtfully. "We've only seen several cats, all spread apart across the Clan territory." He stood up. "All right, where's this 'safeplace' of yours?"

"It's the Twoleg nest…do you know where that is?"

He didn't answer, simply picking up his mouse. "Let's go."

Tawnypelt flicked her tail and took the lead with Mistyfoot. Ashfur carried the rear.

"Oh, yeah…" Tawnpelt kept her voice down. "I thought Ashfur was mates with Squirrelflight…they were sitting together at the last Gatherings."

Mistyfoot looked away. "They were, kind of, but Squirrelflight and Brambleclaw went on the journey together, and they've spent a lot of time together. I heard that she left Ashfur for Brambleclaw," she murmured. "Don't mention it to him, though. I'm sure he's still a bit sensitive."

"I bet so…" Tawnypelt muttered. She couldn't begin to imagine what she'd do if Rowanclaw left her for another she-cat.

Still, Tawnypelt couldn't help sneaking a glance at Ashfur. He met her gaze challengingly and sped up to catch up to them.

"I know you're talking about me and Squirrelflight," he hissed softly.

"No, well, yes, but I didn't mean to pry."

"I don't care what you say about us," he growled angrily. "But never mention her in front of me again. Never again."


	21. Chapter 20: A Plan

**Ha, bet you all thought I'd given up on this story, huh? Yeah, that's what I thought, too. But now that it's summer, I have more time, so I'm going to start writing again.**

**It's been a while (what, a year?) since I last wrote this story, so I had to go back and read my own writing. (Luckily, I remember what sort of plot I had in mind) I may have missed some details and so the story might not be consistent. It would be great if you guys could tell me if you see these errors so I correct them.**

* * *

"A sensitive topic, huh?" Tawnypelt muttered.

Mistyfoot laughed sheepishly.

"It's not funny! He practically blew up at us! Didn't you see his eyes? They were like, shooting fire!"

"Yes, he's like that when it comes to Squirrelflight. Can't say I blame him."

They had arrived at the Twolegplace. At first, Mistyfoot was amazed at the sense of Clan life that drifted about. It wasn't long until she started asking about what they were going to do about TigerClan.

"I…don't know…" Tawnypelt meowed, slightly confused. "We can't really do much, can we?"

Mistyfoot's blue eyes blazed. "Do much? There's enough cats here, plus the other safeplaces, for an attack! Don't you want our territory back? Don't you want the real Clans back?"

"Well, yes, but…"

"We're all united here! We need to fight for what we believe in!"

Tawnypelt, gazing into Mistyfoot's angry eyes, suddenly felt like this was a start to something she'd wanted for such a long time.

* * *

"Leafpool! You were just gravely wounded! What do you think you are doing, wandering around like that?"

Leafpool spun around. She met Willowpaw's eyes calmly. "I was just looking for Nightcloud. You know, she did save me and all."

"But still, this isn't the time. I don't care if you are a medicine cat; you have to take care of yourself. Besides, Nightcloud'll drop by sooner or later. I'll tell her you want to see her," Willowpaw meowed.

Leafpool bit her lip. If she wasn't careful, Willowpaw was going to get suspicious.

Before she could respond, Ravenpaw came running. "Come to the top of the Twoleg nest! Barley has something he wants to say to every cat! Have you seen Nightcloud or Tawnypelt anywhere?"

"No, in fact, Leafpool here was just going to look for her. I'm pretty sure she's not in the nest," Willowpaw meowed.

"Really? I'll look outside, then, thanks."

_A meeting? Like a Clan meeting? What in StarClan could be that important that Barley had to tell every cat? _Leafpool sighed and made her way to the top of the Twoleg nest with Willowpaw at her side. Sandstorm and Rowanclaw were already there. Leafpool padded to Sandstorm and sat next to her, looking at the rogue leader.

Brackenfur climbed up a few moments later, but moons seem to pass, and Nightcloud, Ravenpaw, and Tawnypelt were nowhere to be found. Barley sighed and cleared his throat. "Well, I suppose we're going to have to start without them.

"I called you all up here for a reason. We didn't have many cats to begin with, and now that Stormfur has left, we have even less.

"We've waited for long enough. It's time for us to take action. We can't just wait for this endless wandering to end, for us to regain our lost territory. This territory is not going to magically become ours again, as it rightfully should be. TigerClan is not going to give up the territory without a fight.

"We're not alone in our exiled state. There are cats all over the so-called 'TigerClan' territory who support us, who are staying at other safespots. Together, we can overcome TigerClan. We can return to our old lives."

Barley looked around at the surrounding cats. They remained silent for a few moments, taking in the idea. Then Rowanclaw raised his tail. "I agree that we should fight to regain our territory. We all want our old Clans back. I'm sure the other wandering cats, in all their different locations, feel this way as well."

Brackenfur nodded thoughtfully. Sandstorm closed her eyes, as if imagining her old life in ThunderClan again.

"But there's one issue."

"What would that be?" Barley asked curiously.

Rowanclaw twitched. "Well, it's you."

Barley's eyes widened. "What did you say?"

Rowanclaw shifted his paws, but he held Barley patronizing gaze. "It's just that…we all support you and respect you here. But I wonder what the other wandering Clan cats would think. We Clan cats are proud of what we are. Led into such a vital battle by a rogue? I'm not sure how many cats would support that."

"What are you saying?" Willowpaw cried. "After Barley has helped us so much?"

"No," Sandstorm meowed sharply. "Rowanclaw's right. We can't be led into this battle by Barley." She dipped her head to the rogue. "I fully appreciate what you've done for us. But this is something we have to do for ourselves."

Barley tilted his head angrily. "Who's going to lead, then? You?"

"I'm not saying I should lead. And I'm sure that's not what Rowanclaw meant either," Sandstorm mewed calmly.

"We need someone who will bring everyone together. Some cat who is friendly with all the Clans. Some cat who is trusted," Brackenfur suggested.

"But what about the prophecy? Someone unloved has to lead us!" Leafpool mewed fretfully.

The cats shifted uncomfortably. They weren't getting anything done. They weren't making any progress at all. All this arguing over who would be leading the attack.

"We should gather all the exiled Clan cats. We need to talk over this together." Brackenfur broke the silence.

"Who's going to get them?" Barley snapped angrily. "We barely have enough cats as it is. What if TigerClan attacks us?"

"If all of TigerClan decides to attack us, we have no chance anyway," Rowanclaw meowed coldly. "Brackenfur's right, we have to get the rest of the Clan cats. Actually, if you want it your way, we don't have to meet here; we can all meet someplace else. Somewhere that is equally convenient for everyone."

"This is why I became a rogue," Barley muttered. "These cats never listen."

The rest of the cats ignored him. They rose, ready to begin spreading the news.

"I'll go to the bridge safespot," Sandstorm volunteered.

"I'll come with you," Brackenfur meowed. "We'll have to cross TigerClan territory, so it's not that safe."

"I'll go to the other Twoleg nest, then. The one where Mousefur is hiding at," Rowanclaw said.

"That's in the middle of TigerClan territory, though. And you were just badly wounded. You should take someone with you," Brackenfur meowed.

Rowanclaw twitched his tail. "There's no one else who can come. Leafpool and Willowpaw are both medicine cats, not warriors. They'll just slow me down."

"Sorry, I'm late!" The cats turned to see Tawnypelt walking toward them, followed by Mistyfoot and Ashfur. "I found these two."

"Great!" Brackenfur meowed. "Rowanclaw, you and Tawnypelt can go to the Twoleg nest together."

"Twoleg nest?" Tawnypelt asked.

Rowanclaw began to fill her and the two other cats in with what was happening.

"Finally." Mistyfoot smiled. "We can all go back to how it was."

Ashfur snorted and stayed silent.

"Well, now that Mistyfoot and Ashfur are here, they should be able to defend this Twoleg nest from TigerClan attacks, right, Barley? They're both seasoned warriors," Willowpaw mewed. "And Leafpool and I will be here, too."

Barley still looked unconvinced. "Alright."

The cats began to depart, each starting out on their role. Willowpaw led Mistyfoot and Ashfur back into the Twoleg nest to show them around. Tawnypelt and Rowanclaw decided to stay the night before leaving, but Brackenfur and Sandstorm started out right away, as they wanted to cross TigerClan territory overnight.

* * *

Leafpool closed her eyes, listening to the sounds of the forest. She hated that she couldn't do much because she was injured. Anytime she tried to leave, Willowpaw or Sandstorm would immediately force her back to her nest. But now Willowpaw was busy showing Mistyfoot and Ashfur around, and Sandstorm had already left.

Leafpool had missed hunting. It seemed like forever since she had caught and eaten fresh prey.

Leafpool scented the air. Her ears pricked as she caught the scent of Nightcloud. She hadn't seen the black she-cat since her return. And now she could smell another scent buried with Nightcloud's. A familiar scent, but she couldn't place it.

Shaking her head to clear it all, Leafpool scented a mouse and begain to stalk it. She easily pounced and crushed its neck. As she lapped up the last of the mouse, she began to wonder where Nightcloud had gone.

* * *

Nightcloud awoke with a start. She gazed at Crowfeather's sleeping form. As he felt her shift, he awoke with a start. "Hmm? Where are you going, Nightcloud?"

"Hunting," she lied.

"Okay," he meowed. "Can you bring me something, too?"

"Sure," she mewed on her way out.

Nightcloud headed straight for the Twoleg nest. She had been gone for too long. They must be getting suspicious by now. She sighed. This double life was so hard. If only Crowfeather would choose her over Leafpool. If only.


End file.
